喰 霊 － 零－ 外伝
by Zeshin-kun
Summary: This is a Ga-Rei story offering a different account on the events of the Anime. It takes place between the fourth and ninth episodes and will culminate in the same outcome taken by the original anime, with a few major changes to existing elements within,
1. 頑固務

**喰**** 霊**** － ****零****－**

Will you kill someone you love, because of love?

_Disclaimer:_ Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!

Or, another way of saying this would be:

この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!

Which is funnerer, no? FYI, yes, this is what they say at the opening of this anime series as well as most other series. Just sub out Kadokawa Shoten.

_A/N:_ Welcome to my rendition of Ga-Rei Zero. What this fiction will actually be is a rewrite of the anime series. After watching it, though I did fall in love with it, I felt a few events could have played out better and notably a few characters could definitely have had better roles than they did. Therefore, I am giving it a redo. Naturally, that makes it only a half AU fiction and also means a few key/moments in the Anime I liked very much were squished in among all the new bits. Also, I'm only rewriting from episodes 4 to 9 as the rest of it, I think doesn't need to be changed. Enjoy!

Oh, and this first episode is also mostly taken from the Anime so you could consider it a novelisation, but more original scenes will present themselves later. Also, the plot has changed drastically despite starting and ending on the same note.

Last, all translations, including titles, will be at the bottom of each chapter.

**頑固務****－****がんこよりつとめ****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 04**

"Hey, Mikuru! Let me see your English homework!" One of the girls chirped just as the bell run for class to start.

"Eh? We had English homework yesterday?" Mikuru replied, stirring uncomfortably in her wooden seat.

"I wish you could have told me sooner. I had a cold yesterday and didn't come to class." She continued, much to her classmate's dismay.

Planting her head down on her friend's desk, the outspoken girl cried out her doomed fate, "What am I going to do? I was only counting on Mikuru for that assignment!"

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head as she turned to her right in sync with her friend. There was a new girl in class that day, a very strange and quiet type that just didn't seem right for their current grade. Confidence emanating from all corners of her being, she proudly stood and waved for Mikuru to follow suit.

"Hey, Tsuchimiya!" She chirped again, plopping herself down in the seat before the girl, "Did you do the English homework?"

"Huh? Oh yeah…" The girl simply replied, shaken out of her daze.

"Really? Can I borrow it?!"

Tsuchimiya consented to which the girl immediately beamed, even mouthing a very poorly pronounced "thank you" in her excitement. Mikuru took the opportunity to ask for the homework, as well, her tone of voice much calmer and respectful compared to her overzealous classmate. After nodding okay to her, as well, Tsuchimiya's phone began to vibrate. It was the Ministry again. Immediately, almost as if on reflex, Tsuchimiya turned to her classmates and told her that her mother had fallen ill again and she needed to go to the hospital right away, prompting the outspoken one to complain that it seemed the girl's mother was always getting sick. Mikuru helped fill in some tact for her friend by apologising on account of bothering Tsuchimiya for homework when she obviously had much on her mind, but the girl merely gave a slight touch of reassurance and went about her way, making note to her classmates that they could hand in her homework in her stead.

"Sorry for always taking time away from school, Kagura." Iwahata apologised, opening the backseat door.

With a small groan, Kagura replied, "Every time I have to lie to the teacher. I'm getting nervous about i-"

"Were you sleeping?" Yomi said, cutting her off.

When Kagura turned her attention to her, she followed with, "You've got drool coming down your mouth."

With a slight gasp, the girl quickly put up a hand to wipe away the saliva only to be surprised again when she heard the click on the woman's cell phone. Turning the cell phone around with a light-hearted chuckle, Yomi revealed a newly acquired image of Kagura's previous action much to the girl's chagrin.

"My Kagura face shots collection just got a new edition!" Yomi giggled excitedly as the vehicle pulled out with all on board.

"Delete that! Blasted collection!" Came Kagura's annoyed reply.

* * *

In the car, Yomi and the other two members of the ministry discussed the new situation with Kagura, the latter having taken out a box of Pocky to snack on during the trip. Eventually, as she was sharing it with Yomi, they reached the last stick, which Yomi advantaged immediately from a distracted Kagura. Unbeknownst to the young girl, Yomi had done so as a distraction in itself, since the discussion had spilled into a mention of events from three years ago, during which time Kagura's mother had been killed by an as yet unnamed villain.

"Hey, that was sneaky!" The girl complained.

Yomi only waved the Pocky stick in front of her friend's face with a mischievous grin, saying, "First to act, wins the lot."

Kagura, not taking that lying down, quickly bit down on the end, returning Yomi with her own sly words. Surprised, but not willing to accept defeat, Yomi took to biting down on her end of the stick and began nibbling away at it, alerting Kagura who, too, began racing to finish the snack faster. Within moments, they were close enough to touch noses, a proximity that embarrassed the younger girl. Yomi, sensing this of her friend, seized the opportunity and moved in for a kiss, planting her full lips right against the younger girl's, even going so far as to flirt with her about loosening up and not be so tense.

"You have me, you have me!" Yomi continued while Kagura protested, "You can whine and complain, but it's all no use!"

"Yomi's such a pervert!" Kagura cried.

Of course, this act had not gone by unnoticed and had caught the attention of male Ministry member, Kazuki, who couldn't help but watch the scene before his eyes. Being a very well-trained slayer, Yomi was alerted to their audience and sent a gracious boot straight into Kazuki's face, warning him not to spy again if the pervert knew what was good for him.

"Seriously, sorry for today. Both of you still had classes to attend." Iwahata interrupted, changing the subject.

"Don't think too much about it." Yomi replied.

"This is also part of our lives." Kagura added.

"You guys don't tell him not to look this way!" Kazuki suddenly spat, having recovered from the kick to the face.

"Oh, that's because Iwahata's on 'that side.'" Yomi responded with a grin.

Kagura agreed, but Kazuki didn't seem to understand just what the significance of "that side" meant, thinking it only pertained to his seating in the vehicle. Well, until…

"Hey, Sakuraba! You… have a pretty cute ass." Iwahata stated with a blush.

Kazuki stiffened, backing to the furthest part of his seat he could push himself to as he shakily retorted, "D-d-don't look at me like that!"

* * *

The rest of the ride went smoothly and, before long, they had arrived at their destination: a small forest outside the city. The sun had just set and, as they pulled up, the group noticed a unit stationed with Izuna Noriyuki, another veteran member of the Ministry. Yomi exited first, going to Nori's side to ascertain the details of the target. His Kuda-gitsune Ga-rei was already scouting the area, waiting on stronger reinforcements to point out the exact location of the creature.

Lending their sight to Nori, he relayed the information to Yomi and the others, "Category B: Tsuchigumo."

Yomi acknowledged the classification, noting it to be a giant daddy longlegs spider born to the forest from the lingering vengeful spirits of the Yatsukuhagi people. Instructing Nori to pull back his Ga-rei and the others to watch her back, she unleashed her own Ga-rei, Ranguren, from her sword and sped off to face the creature.

Passing through the dense foliage at high-speed, she eventually noticed movement among the brush and changed her swift dash to a careful stalk, watching the spider carefully from afar as Ranguren moved into a desirable position. The multi-eyed lion chimera pounced the Tsuchigumo, taking a large chunk out of its main body before Yomi erupted from her spot, commanding her beast to use its strongest ability of Houkoha, a piercing roar of sonic energy. The strike sent the spider spinning, right and ready for Yomi's downward slash, slicing it cleanly in two. However, as both halves fell to the ground, one of them was headed for a nearby bridge, just where a wayward bystander happened to be standing. Yomi gasped, knowing she'd never make it in time.

"I got it!" Kagura shouted, reaching the girl in time to dispatch the shattered remains of the Tsuchigumo.

With a sigh of relief, Yomi landed and proceeded to rendezvous with the others at that bridge. They'd have some explaining to do.

* * *

When Yomi arrived, Iwahata and Kazuki were already talking to the woman, though it was evident she wasn't only flustered over the large chunk of spirit monster that nearly smashed her into jam. The seasoned slayer strolled briskly over, taking her from the two men to speak to her aside. Kagura took note of this, inching her way close enough to overhear some choice words. Yomi took hold of something the woman had in her purse, to which the woman gasped and withdrew herself, returning abruptly back to her former company.

Kagura approached the veteran slayer, asking her, "How did you know she wanted to kill herself?"

"Experience." Was Yomi's quick reply, "The more you take to the field, the more it'll become apparent for you."

* * *

Light shone upon the entire Isayama estate the following day, a joyous sign that had Yomi in high spirits as she walked through the halls and outdoor passes. She had heard from an attendant that her adoptive father and head of the household, Isayama Naraku, requested her presence. As she arrived at his office, perhaps the only room left not bathed in sun, he told her to review a large package on the floor. Opening it, Yomi found a beautiful violet yukata with a white kimono adorned in golden camellias on lavender sleeves. The expression on her face made it quite clear how much she adored the garment.

"It used to be my wife's. If you like it, you can try it on." Naraku told her.

"Really?"

"Of course. It should be a good fit for you now."

While Yomi looked over the outfit, checking it on herself, Naraku began asking the usually questions about her studies and work as a slayer, all of which were answered with a "Same as always. Nothing to worry about" from Yomi.

"How are things between you and our opposite house's Noriyuki?" He suddenly asked, surprising the young slayer, "Yomi, I must speak to you about something."

Taking a breath, he pressed on, "It's about the marriage arrangement between the Izuna clan and our own. I know you and Noriyuki don't have much interest in these things and, as such, it wouldn't be the best to make the decision without first considering the opinions of those involved, so I'd like to ask you about it again."

Understanding what her father meant perfectly, she took a small breath before standing, saying, "Father, Father took me in, a homeless and abandoned kid, and cared for me as I grew up. I know this marriage arrangement would strengthen the ties between our families. Therefore, I have no reason to refuse. As such, I would happily accept this arrangement."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the family dojo, Tsuchimiya Kagura had just finished a round of training and was ready to call it a day. Unsheathing Michael 12, she carefully patted it down with a powder brush and took a handkerchief to it, polishing it clean. Once it held the desired lustre, she examined it meticulously before reaching for the can of 5-57 to maintain her work on it. Spraying the edge of her blade first, she would be caught off guard when…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" A loud voice shrieked from behind, "That just won't do!"

As Kagura turned, her eyes grew wide at the sight before her. Standing just outside the dojo, clad in a white… loincloth, was a very large and muscular Caucasian man, his hair worn as an afro by the looks of it. The strange man also sported a mustache and beard fairly reminiscent of Iwahata though a bit longer, but there was no chance even her buff homosexual colleague would be out dressed in such a manner and speaking with such poor Japanese.

"A katana needs to be maintained with camellia or Eugenia oil." He continued, opting to make a mad dash straight to Kagura before making his next statement, "This is most important to a Japanese person."

Of course, as any normal woman would respond to a near naked man charging you in an empty and enclosed area, Kagura responded with a high-pitched squeak and retaliated with some 5-57 to the eyes. The large man grabbed his eyes in pain, grunting and squealing as Kagura kept up her spraying, loosing a few squeaks in the process. The commotion became loud enough to alert Naraku and Yomi, who had just finished putting away her new kimono and, together with her father, wanted to know why the normally tranquil dojo suddenly produced a disruptive din.

"What's the matter, Kagura?" Yomi asked before she even looked inside.

"Yomi, a weirdo just came into the house!" The young girl pointed.

As soon as Yomi's eyes focused on said "weirdo" they lit up, "Oh, Master Michael! You've decided to visit!"

Forgetting all the pain the spray had caused his eyes only moments ago, the large man, bounded for Yomi, clasping both her hands in his, "Oh Yomi-san, it's been such a looong time."

Kagura hid herself behind Naraku who only chuckled at the overeager swordsmith, telling Kagura not to worry, that Master Michael was an old friend and the creator of her own precious sword, the Michael 12 she had been cleaning just before.

"Hey, hurry up and give him a proper greeting." Yomi instructed.

"Oh! My name is Tsuchimiya Kagura."

"Ooh! You are Tsuchimiya-dono's daughter, right?" Michael inquired, "It is so nice to meet you! I am Michael Kohara."

Turning to Yomi, Master Michael asked, "Could I see the Shishio, Yomi-san?"

Shishio was the sword Yomi excelled at, the family treasure of the Isayama residence, and also the enchanted item that housed Yomi's Ga-rei of Ranguren. Handing the weapon over wasn't a fun task, but she had grown used to the swordsmith requesting this from her.

Examining the blade, Michael beamed with excitement, "This is still a superb sword. No matter when you gaze at it, its brilliant lustre and remarkable spiritual energies are a splendid marvel to behold. However…"

"However?" Yomi asked, worried.

"The spiritual energies seem to have been taxed to their limits. I think it'd be best if the sword was given some work."

This came a quite a shock to Yomi who had never been comfortable with another handling her precious weapon, let alone taking it away from her, even if it was to help make it stronger. Still, she was left without any real option. Master Michael was a highly respected smith and the experience he had in his craft was a major asset to all slayers. Finally, with her father's reassuring hand placed upon her shoulder, she nodded her consent, making note to hand it in the following day.

* * *

After Master Michael departed, Naraku decided to return to his study, leaving Yomi and Kagura to clean up since Kagura was done using the dojo for the day. As they were leaving, Yomi abruptly turned to Kagura, surprising the girl. For a few moments, the only movement throughout the entire dojo seemed to come from the blood rushing to Kagura's cheeks, but neither of the two made a sound.

Finally breaking the silence, Kagura whined, "What are you doing, Yomi?"

Shaken from her private thoughts, the older girl's formerly blank expression twisted into a mischievous grin and then a demure smirk, eyes cast astray before she turned back around to face the door to say a drawn-out "nothing" before she took off, sauntering back to her room.

"Really now, it doesn't matter how old she gets. She still acts like a little kid!" Kagura whined, crossing her arms in frustration.

Letting loose a heavy sigh, the younger girl started her own walk, lazily dragging her feet toward Yomi's room. She had done so for the intended purposes of showing her elder that she was still irritated by her antics, but she did want to speak to her. Yomi, having been utilising her honed senses on her friend, knew the girl's intentions and took to readying her gaming system for the same purpose. The two could relax, converse, and discuss whatever was on the younger one's mind.

"Yomi… If Shishio is taken to be worked on, that means you can't rely on your spiritual powers in battle."

Yomi was quite taken aback by the statement, having the notion resurge in her mind, one of the many reasons she hadn't wholeheartedly agreed to having it taken from her in the first place. Calming herself, she answered with a casual statement that all items needed to be properly cared for so she really had no choice in the matter.

"If I was capable of spiritual control, it would be better." Kagura suddenly blurted, once again surprising Yomi who gasped slightly, "Then, in times like these, you could count on me!"

Smiling to hide her true thoughts from the younger girl, Yomi replied, "Uh, have you seen your father lately?"

"No, not once." Came the reply, effectively playing into Yomi's desire to change the subject.

"If you don't, at least, check up on him, your father'll be lonely."

"It'll be fine. Besides, it's not like he'd even be home if I were to visit." Kagura responded with some melancholy in her voice, "Unless it would be better if I went home. Would it be that much trouble if I stayed?"

Those words changed Yomi's earlier uncertainty at being a slayer to joy at being the welcoming older sister as she pushed herself into the younger girl for a hug, "Aw, Kagura! You're so cute! Let's just count you as one of my family then!"

For the rest of the day, they played together and at night, Kagura hadn't even wanted to return to her own room, opting instead to spend the night with Yomi. As they lay in Yomi's bed, the older gazing up at the ceiling, she finally told Kagura about her engagement to Nori.

"I wonder what married life is like." She said, her eyes unblinking.

"I think it will be wonderful! Nori-chan is really fun to be around!"

"Yea…"

With that, Kagura fell fast asleep, her thoughts drifting to her future "brother-in-law" and life together, just the three of them. Meanwhile, Yomi would be unable to rest, her thoughts lingering on the what ifs of any bride to be. _Would everything be alright?_

* * *

The next day, Yomi and Kagura arrived early at headquarters. Kagura entered their team's office first, shouting a happy "good morning" to everyone before seeing a new package that the Nabuu twins were currently unpacking. Just as she was about to get a closer look, Yomi arrived jumping the girl from behind with her own variety of "good mornings" that nearly sent both girls tumbling to the ground.

Kagura stood back straight, turning to her "sister" to scold her when a fragrant aroma entered her nose, "What smells so good? Yomi, what did you use?"

"Huh? I'm not wearing anything." Yomi tried to say, but both Nabuu brothers immediately confirmed Kagura's words, prompting the younger girl to confront her older sibling about it.

Giving up, Yomi revealed a small pink bottle of the brand name aroma she had recently purchased. Sadly, the interrogations wouldn't end there as, upon closer observation, unintended as she was merely inspecting the perfume bottle, Kagura deduced that Yomi's eyelashes were also longer than usual. At last, Yomi confessed, though indignantly, saying that even she liked fixing herself up now and then.

"I got it!" Kagura suddenly blurted, "Today, you're trying to get Nori-chan on a date!"

Yomi was visibly shaken, turning immediately to her younger sibling to growl a "That was totally not what I was doing!"

Just then, Nori arrived, announcing himself with a simple "ahoy" before moving to get himself a cup of coffee until he, too, sensed the change amidst the office, "Does anyone else smell that odor?"

To say Yomi took it hard was an understatement. In fact, the entire office seemed to take on a droll aura and one needn't be a slayer to sense what would eventually follow. Kagura took it upon herself to say it was coming from her, holding out the bottle Yomi had shown her moments ago.

"What gives, Kagura? You know, this is a place of work. Don't bring these things here." Nori scolded the girl, as Yomi practically limped to the coffee station, "My family all has a strong sense of smell. Besides, you don't even know what perfume is used for right? You'll come off as a overzealous kid f you spray yourself with too much. Very embarrassing."

Kagura's nervous smile widened as her eyes glanced over at Yomi in the distance, beads of sweat lacing her brow. Her older sister looked ready to explode within a moment's notice, stunted only by the swiftly weakening restraint she had.

Unfortunately, Nori wasn't done with his speech just yet, "Just a slight sprits is enough. Too much and you'll come off as a desperate and lonely old woman." And then he proceeded to laugh…

Yomi stalked over to Nori, a freshly brewed pot of coffee in her steady hand. As Kagura watched on, her older sister's expression seemingly improved and her hands calm and controlled, Yomi promptly lifted said hand, with pot, and loosed the entirety of its contents right onto Nori's face. From his self-induced reverie to screaming on the floor in pain, Yomi's only reaction would only be to apologise for "letting her hand slip on the pot and spilling some coffee on him", spoken in a soft and vacant tone.

"Liar! What's your problem?!" He screamed as soon as he recovered.

"Nothing." Came her emotionless reply.

"You have no problem with me, but go and dump a pot of burning hot coffee on my face? What the hell is wrong with you?!" Nori roared, but suddenly realised the truth, "Oh, so it was really your smell, eh? You apply that foul odor to yourself then let poor Kagura here take the blame?"

"I did no such thing!" Yomi yelled back.

"But the awful smell is coming from you, no?"

With that, Yomi hurled a creamer container at him, which he easily caught, not noticing that Yomi had partially opened it. The contents, much like the coffee beforehand, sprayed onto his face and covered his hand in the milky fluid. Further enraged, he stood to face Yomi, mouthing his anger.

"Okay, now I'm pissed!"

"What if you're pissed?" Yomi coldly replied, releasing Ranguren from her sword.

"Eh?" Nori sneered at the girl, releasing his own Ga-rei, the Kuda-gitsune, "What do you think?"

As the two and their Ga-rei readied for all-out war, the rest of the team cowered at the far-side of the office waiting with both dread and a morbid sense of curiosity for an outcome. Luckily, that outcome would come in the form of an arriving Master Michael, together with their chief, Jinguuji Ayame, and her assistant, Nikaido Kiri. It was time to hand in Shishio and claim her temporary substitute for battle.

* * *

Seeing the selection, both Yomi and Kagura frowned. Lying on the table, in that package the Nabuu brothers had been unpacking, were random pieces of… could it even be called weaponry?

"Let's see." Iwahata began, taking a small piece of shining silver from the pile, "This should fit for girls to use."

"Is that an iron?" Kagura asked him.

"This is a discontinued model knuckle, the Douglas 28! It uses spiritual steam stored within to expel dark forces." Iwahata explained, surprisingly with sincere enthusiasm and no trace of sarcasm at all.

Upon seeing the weary expressions of both Kagura and Yomi, he nodded their disapproval and moved on, "Apart from that, we have discontinued model chainsaw, Pare 11!", which was likewise disapproved, "discontinued model jackhammer, Jackson 33!", disapproved, "discontinued model boiler, J. Fox 55!", obviously disapproved especially considering…

"This thing's too heavy to even operate." Kagura noted, patting the J. Fox thing.

"This'll be fine." Yomi said with a sigh, taking up the Douglass 28.

* * *

Later that day, with no threats needed to be dealt with, Kagura was able to attend school again. During their recess, along with her two friends from the other day, Kagura began discussing the situation between her older sibling and Nori.

"Arranged marriage?" They both asked.

"Yup, arranged marriage. It's already been set. Their parents already finalised the decision." Kagura replied.

"Aw, how romantic!" Mikuru cried.

"Really now, it's like a Shoujo" Yacchi added, though less enthused.

Kagura pondered the thought of their romance budding like those dramas that show at nine on Mondays, but worried that their recent argument could ruin that future. She began contemplating a possible plan of action to get them back together, but couldn't think of anything until her friends…

* * *

"Okay everyone! Now, I'll explain the details of our plan of attack!" Kagura announced back in the office at the Ministry.

Yes, following the suggestion of her schoolmates, Kagura was scheming a fantastically awful "make the boy jealous so he'll erupt in a display of undying romantic affection for the girl, thus solidifying and immortalising their unbreakable love" _fool-proof_ plan. Part one of said plan involved Kazuki as the rival for Yomi's affection. He would have to flirt and seduce Yomi enough so that Nori would be overcome with jealous rage and retrieve his woman from Kazuki's filthy clutches, which would have been the plan had Kazuki not calculated that Yomi would just have her Ga-rei eat him for trying his hand at seducing her. A kick to the face had been his reward for simply being a man and taking interest in her and Kagura's lip-lock the other day. Just what would her reaction be if he went full-out on her? Shaking tremendously at the thought, he fervently refused such participation, forcing Kagura to move onto the next vict- er, candidates, the Nabuu twins. The twins could flirt and seduce her together! Except, of course, after seeing Kazuki's point, both brothers noted they, too, would be cannon fodder for the mighty Ga-rei and each declined the offer to basically become worm food. Moving on, Kagura's eyes pleaded in Iwahata's direction, hoping he'd accept the mission at hand despite his sexual preference. With a simple yet distinct no, Iwahata went on to explain that, should Yomi and Nori break it off, Nori might eventually find his way to him, a good outcome.

As all hope seemed lost, the chief abruptly interrupted their discussion, asking them what they were doing. This, of course, brought a wide grin to Kagura's face and hope flushed back into her eyes.

* * *

Elsewhere, Yomi launched her weapon's chain at a can in her yard, having gone home to train with her new weapon. Successfully hitting it, she retrieved the chain, content with her progress. Just then, a small breeze picked up, blowing a few strands of her hair into her face. Brushing them aside, her eyes suddenly widen, "I sense a great disturbance."

Likewise, outside a video store, as Nori made his way to it, one hand finding itself on the door, his head abruptly shot up in time to see a group of pigeons take flight from the roof above. Looking to the side, he mumbled, "I've got a bad feeling."

* * *

"So, that's it." The chief finally stated, having heard Kagura's tale of woe.

"If they keep up like this, it could escalate into a big problem. There could be casualties if not injuries." Kiri added.

"There's nothing we can do. No single action is going to solve this situation. First, we'll need to get Yomi to fall for Nori again."

Kiri was taken aback, asking, "Do you have a plan?"

"Of course! I've just been waiting for the right moment." A response that didn't thrill her assistant.

* * *

Everybody in position, they discovered Nori sitting by himself on the edge of a guardrail in the local park reading. The players all confirmed their stations and waited at their marks, reporting all movement. At the stage area, Kagura and Kazuki lay in surveillance, spying on Nori in the distance. From her central office back at headquarters, the chief initiates the "attack."

"Kiri-chan, are you ready?" She asked via open com.

"Affirmative. Ready to begin." Kiri replied, nodding on her end.

Seeing her target, she swiftly approached, her mission "gear" not exactly the most suitable for a professional woman such as herself, though for the chief, she would bear any and all embarrassment.

Tugging at her skirt to make sure it wasn't too revealing, even for what she was to do, she made her presence known and was received by Nori with a "Oh, Miss Nikaido, it's you."

"G-g-g-g-g-good a-a-aftern-n-noon. I-I-Izuna-san, a-a-are you PATROLING t-today?" She responded in as calm a voice she could… which failed… miserably.

From their location, Kazuki grunted, "Too stiff, that's way too stiff!"

Kagura alerted Kiri, "Nikaido-san, you have to be more natural!"

Back in the active site, Nori was ready to progress their plot, "Well, this is a sight. It's so unusual it is to see you wearing a dress, Miss Nikaido."

Not skipping a beat… or keeping in context with the conversation at hand, Kiri proceeded to her next obviously scripted line, saying, "I have a personal matter to discuss with you."

"Really, you're very attractive in that." Then again, Nori seemed none the wiser. "If you came to the Ministry dressed like that once in a while, it'd make it a lot brighter of a place."

"I think we just hit a red flag." Kazuki noted back at his perch.

"Nori-chan's quite the playboy." Kagura added, continuing to scope out the situation.

"Our first objective is a success with Noriyuki's anticipated reaction." Kazuki continued, "Now all we need is for Yomi to arrive and react accordingly, too."

"Everyone at attention! The second objective is about to commence!" The chief's voice alerted over the coms.

As the group looked on, their second target, Isayama Yomi had arrived and was drawing nearer to the active site. When she arrived, Kiri had taken a seat beside him while Nori continued with his flirting. Upon noticing Yomi's arrival, he casually waved to her and triggered the start of their "plan of attack."

"Phase one, understood." Kiri quietly uttered to herself, moving as close to Nori as she could.

Yomi showed no adverse reaction to this, which prompted Kazuki to report no effect. The chief affirmed their attack was too weak and ordered Kiri to initiate phase two! And what was phase two? Kiri suddenly grabbed Nori in a hug, knocking them both onto the grass behind them. Their entwined bodies lay there, Kiri's tiny form melting perfectly into Nori's embrace… if being sprawled on the grass with his mouth agape could constitute an embrace. Unfortunately, as Kazuki would report, Yomi still showed no reaction, prompting the chief to activate phase three in desperation!

Leaning over him, her tight outfit accentuating every curve, she breathed heavy breaths, her eyes gazing seductively at the man under her, "Noriyuki, let's not keep our relationship a secret any longer."

Nori was completely baffled by Kiri's bizarre act, highly unusual for her considering her normally stoic appearance. Yomi, upon witnessing this shocking turn of events, turned and began to take her leave. A worried Kazuki immediately reported the attack's failure until, upon further observation, rescinded the alert. Further on, Yomi had gone to purchase a drink from a nearby vending machine instead of departing as previously believed. Selecting her beverage, she took it and walked a few steps into more open space. Winding back, she pitched the bottle at an incredible speed, where, following its trajectory, led it straight into collision with Nori's skull, the formerly grassbound pair having recollected themselves.

"Attack successful!" Cried an eager Kazuki, "Things look to be taking a turn!"

"Yes, but do you think it might be taking a turn for the worse?" Kagura asked, waking the former from his celebration, "No matter how you look at it, Yomi seems angrier than she was before."

Returning to post, the two looked on as Yomi confronted Nori. "Care to explain just what that was all about?" Yomi growled.

"What are you talking about?" Nori returned, matching her fury.

"What else? And in front of your betrothed at that! Just what were you doing?!"

"What? You're jealous?"

"Jealousy? Are you sure you're not mistaken about some things?"

"Mistaken?"

"I'm not the least bit attracted to you. I only agreed to this whole thing because my father requested it." Yomi said, pushing Nori back a bit, "Don't be so smug."

Not taking this lying down, Nori marched right back into Yomi, offering cold retort, "The same goes for me, too! It's only because I couldn't get the old man off my back that I agreed to this!"

That having struck a chord, Yomi responded to Nori's words with a furious slap across the face. This provoked Nori to return the favour, followed by another volley, but as Nori went for his next wave, Yomi blocked and launched a powerful body blow to send him sprawling to the floor.

"Lifting a hand on a girl is despicable!" Yomi roared.

Clutching his gut in agony, Nori grunted back, "Hitting me like this, that's not offensive?" Though, his volume seemed to have been cut back a bit.

Standing straight, the slayer's voice took on a serious tone as he began, "It's hard to say if this is what we're always going to be like to each other."

Yomi, taken aback at first, eventually decided he was right given their track record, "That's true… We never seem to be able to get along, do we? It's almost definite that we'll be like this forever."

"We'll always be at each other's throats." Nori agreed.

"Could you accept that kind of life?"

"Could _you_ accept it?"

"Well, I can take it for now."

"You've only got now to back out."

"Oh. So it's like that then…" Yomi muttered, contemplating her final decision, "Noriyuki, I-"

"Wait!" An arriving Kagura screamed, "I'm sorry! This was all my doing! It's all my fault! That's why I'm begging you, please stop fighting! Yomi's like a big sister to me and I thought if you two were married, Nori-chan would become like a big brother, too. Now I realise that building a family depends on building an intimate relationship first so I'm so sorry!"

Yomi turned to Nori and the two instantly calmed, having heard such a juvenile revelation from the girl. The former could only grin at her little sister for going through so much trouble to fix their relationship. Meanwhile, Nori rolled his eyes and curled his lips into a smirk.

"It's okay, Kagura." Yomi reassured the young girl, crouching down to her side.

Likewise, Nori patted the girl on her head, reaffirming, "Yea, we'll be nice from now on."

Kagura wiped the tears from her eyes, confirming their guarantees. After attaining their mutual affirmations, mischievous ideas sprouted in her mind and she decided to use this opportune moment, having received promises from both to play nice.

"Prove it." She voiced, her expression twisting to a demure smirk of her own.

"Proof? How?" Asked Yomi.

"Kiss."

Yomi shrunk back at that, allowing Kagura to explain that "I want to see your 'we'll be nice from now on' kiss."

While Yomi continued to shrink back, Nori, realising the opportunity and seizing it as any virile man would, accepted Kagura's terms by saying, "Very well, if it'll please Kagura" and proceeded to take hold of Yomi by the small of her waist, inching close for his prize.

Just when it seemed as though Yomi's protests and her fighting resolve had succumbed to Nori's advancement, she managed to regain enough of herself and pulled, slamming her betrothed flat on his back and once again sprawled across the floor.

* * *

Luckily, before another argument could ensue, the chief alerted the group to an actual case. Unusual activity had been discovered coming from one of the metro stations. Together, they ventured into its darkened tunnels and separated into smaller groups once they reached a fork. Kagura stuck with Yomi, asserting that her Michael 12 would provide good backup for Yomi while she only had the use of her Douglas 28.

Further down the smaller tunnel, the two sensed an oncoming swarm and braced themselves. In the darkness, several giant strawberry creatures with eyes lurched forth, their form of assault that of a slimey tentacle released from the tip of the main body. Releasing her own chain, Yomi ensnared a few of the creatures, going for a catch and destroy pattern to her attack. The Douglas 28 performed surprisingly well for its form. Unfortunately, this would only last until the water reservoir within the device was exhausted, which meant no more "spiritual steam" and effectively made it useless. Taking note of this, the remainder of the creatures surrounded the slayer, using their tentacles to try and tear her apart. Kagura noticed this after clearing a large group on her end and came to her sister's aid. Using the chains from both her and Yomi's weapons, she connected them and launched the sword from its sheath to ensnare each of the tentacles, forcing them off Yomi. As the sword planted itself into the ground ahead, Kagura raced forward, retrieving it just before the creatures managed to crush it and, having effectively lured them all into one space, she sliced through the entire lot with one clean swipe.

Sheathing the Michael 12, Kagura went to check up on Yomi when she heard a distinct groan from behind. Checking, she noticed a woman, the same woman she had protected from the Tsuchigumo just the other day and went to check on her. As Yomi recollected herself, she noticed the girl, as well, and called out to warn her younger sibling. As the girl turned, Kagura saw that most of her face was gone, parts of it dangling from her skull. Jumping back, she gasped in shock at what hopefully was only a creature in disguise.

"Category D: Akureikashidan Ningen no Shiryo." Yomi identified.

"Does that mean they're already…" Kagura cringed.

As more arrived, Yomi quickly ordered Kagura to slay them, but the young girl couldn't bring herself to consciously harm a human, even if they were already dead. No matter what they were now, they had been human beings once.

"The moment their souls are warped into these creatures, the only thing you can do is exorcise them." Yomi maintained.

However, Kagura still couldn't bring herself to harm them, her mind only focusing on the fact that these mindless drones were once living, a fact that only brought bad memories of losing her mother to similar circumstances. Yomi, having seen the hesitation in her companion, began attacking with the Douglas 28 in an attempt to buy time for Kagura to steady herself, but it was clear that wasn't happening.

"As slayers, it is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world." She stated, hoping their mantra would help her sister understand her purpose and execute them.

However, Kagura, "I know that already! But…"

As the situation grew dire, more and more of the Akureika being attracted by their struggle, it seemed as though this was it for them until a loud roar erupted in the distance. From the shadows, a large white-furred dragon appeared, devouring every one of the Akureikadan as it passed. Tsuchimiya Garaku, Kagura's father had arrived on the scene, using his Ga-rei, Byakuei, to aid his daughter and her friend.

"The Tsuchimiya clan's ultimate guardian beast." Yomi gasped.

"Ga-rei, Byakuei." Kagura uttered.

After eliminating all of them, Garaku proceeded to check if his daughter was alright, though the expression on his face clearly showed his disappointment in her at not dealing with the threat herself.

* * *

That night, Kagura would head straight to bed and Yomi knew better than to go to her. She would need time to accept the full scope of her duties as a slayer, but at such a young age, this would be no easy task. Besides, Yomi had other obligations to attend to, noticing a lone Kuda-gitsune outside her window sill. Smiling slightly at her tiny voyeur, she decided to change into the kimono she had received earlier in the day. The fabrics slipped smoothly on her skin, the colours and shape of the garment accenting her best features. Accessorising with black velvet gloves and an umbrella, she allowed herself to be led by the small creature and arrived before a waiting Nori, who was captivated by the vision in front of him.

"Don't tell me you're hooked now." Yomi joked.

Smiling, Nori walked over to her and pulled her in for a kiss, this time a successful one.

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-:**

**羨望選択****－****せんぼうのせんたく****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 05**

**Translations: **(Names I'm obviously not going to do.)

**この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!**

_Kono bangumi wa Kadokawa Shoten to goran no suponsaa no teikyou de ookuritashimasu!_

This program was brought to you by Kadokawa Shoten and the main sponser. (In this anime, it was Lantis)

**頑固務 － がんこよりつとめ －**

_Kanko yori tsutome_

Duty before Obstination (Yes, I took it off a play on the phrase Death before Dishonour)

**Tsuchigumo** – Ground spider

**Akureikashidan Ningen no Shiryo** – Evil Spirit Horde Human Undead

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-: ****羨望選択 － せんぼうのせんたく －**

_Jikai, Ga-Rei -Zero-: Senbou no sentaku_

Next time on Ga-Rei Zero: Envious of the Chosen (And yes, this is what they say at the end of each episode to announce the next one)


	2. 羨望選択

**喰****霊****－ ****零****－**

Will you kill someone you love, because of love?

この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!

_ Disclaimer:_ Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!

_A/N:_ In this episode, we'll cover a few more existing scenes, but almost taken out of context for the most part from their original. The chapters after this one are going to be completely different from the existing anime and will finally delve into the plot I'll be setting up in this chapter.

As for the review, this story technically is about how they met, though it was part of the included anime Episode 3, just before the last chapter. If you mean you'd like a novelisation or AU of how they met, I guess I could put one up later, but it'll have to be after my current fictions are complete. =)

Just in case you missed it before, all translations, including titles, will be at the bottom of each chapter.

**羨望選択****－****せんぼうのせんたく****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 05**

It was a pleasant morning the next day, the sun bathing the entire estate as Yomi quietly entered. Knowing how early it was, she tried her best not to make a sound so as not to wake young Kagura or disturb her father. Last night had been so wonderful and really helped the situation between her and Nori.

_"Don't tell me you're hooked now." Yomi had joked._

_ "Ba-ka." Nori returned, "As if I'd fall for a battleaxe like you." Of course, the kiss he planted on her just moments before drastically detracted from this statement. _

_ Yomi giggled a bit, taking a seat next to him on the steps as the Kuda-gitsune scurried into her lap, "Then it really was unusual of you to send this little guy to seek out this battleaxe for you."_

_ "Not at all. They all have a habit of wandering off to wherever they like."_

_ "Liar, they've never come by my place before."_

_ After a while of back-and-forth, Nori finally admitted defeat, accepting that he had ulterior motives, namely his desire to see his fiancée alone._

_ "Will we always argue like this?" Yomi asked with heavy implications._

_ "Definitely, always and forever." Nori answered her, moving in for another kiss._

Yomi smiled at the memories, pressing two fingers to her lips. As she continued down the corridor to her room, light stirring and a yawn alerted her to her younger sibling's awakening presence. Her content smile turning to mischievous glee, she stalked toward the room, knowing who would be exiting within moments.

This intended target had been awake for a while, though her thoughts trailed back to the previous day. Having failed to dispatch the Ningen no Shiryo, her father was highly displeased and took the scabbard of Michael 12 to her palms as punishment. He would only grunt two words to her during this time, "grow stronger." The girl tearfully rubbed her hands, not knowing what could be done. Finally, with a yawn, she chose to greet the new day. As Kagura reached her door, yawning a second time while stretching her arms, she was unceremoniously bombarded by something soft, silky, with the voice of a dubious cat, and… Kagura knew exactly what happened.

"YOMI!" She whined, pushing the older girl away.

"Good morning, Kagura-nyan!" The cat greeted.

Kagura would have made another retort, but as her eyes focused on her sister, she suddenly realised that, "Yomi, you're wearing a kimono? Why are you dressed up?"

From dubious feline to frozen statue, Yomi's expression underwent a second change and she would start mumbling jumbled explanations for her fancy dress, none of which would be coherent enough to truly understand. Mostly, it sounded somewhat like "Well, kitsune, no not kitsune, there was a spirit and, but no, Shishio, so I, well, then there was a fire, but that and, I mean, yea!" to which Kagura could only blink a few times in response.

* * *

Later in the day, Naraku had arranged for Izuna Norisada, Nori's father to come for a visit. He had wanted to confirm the arrangement, to ensure that both parties were in agreement over their childrens' betrothal so that his part would be finalised and he could leave the rest to Yomi and Nori. There was little future left in the aging man and the Isayama clan would need to plan out its future.

"So, shall we continue with this arrangement, Norisada-dono." He asked of Nori's father.

"I have no objections. If our clan could unite with that of the Isayama clan, this is an outstanding opportunity. In fact, I'd be all for immediately having them wed if it can be done!" Came Norisada's enthusiastic reply.

Offering a light chuckle, Naraku quelled the other man's overzealous words, "No need to rush things. At least let Yomi graduate from school before we start discussing the details of their wedding."

Afterward, with the arrangement finalised and the brunt of his work accomplished, Naraku looked on from his balcony as Norisada's chauffer pulled away from the house. While he was satisfied that Norisada had not a single objection to this plan, he already knew that it was only so because of Yomi's background and her eventual power. As noted by the man himself, it was only because Yomi would eventually come to represent the Isayama clan, bearing the title of its head and possessing all the powers currently allotted to Naraku himself. Still, Yomi would be safe with the young heir to the Izuna clan, Noriyuki, and that was all he needed.

"Honoured Brother." A voice called out from behind him.

Turning, Naraku saw the familiar and friendly face of his younger brother, happily surprised to say, "It has been a while, Yuu."

"Yes, Brother seems in good health since I saw you last." Yuu said, "I came to talk about the arrangement between our family and the Izuna clan."

"I heard that you have found Yomi a fiancé and plan to have her take over as head of the Isayama clan." He continued.

"Precisely," Naraku replied, much to Yuu's shock and disbelief, "Yomi might be young and inexperienced, but her strength and will ensure that she will not bring the Isayama name to shame. There needn't be any cause for doubt."

"Yes, but Yomi is an adopted daughter." Yuu reasoned.

Naraku was visibly angered by this, saying, "Till now you still take issue? If I hadn't thought to leave everything to her, I certainly wouldn't have given her Shishio to begin with!"

"So, Honoured Brother, you're saying that you would leave the Isayama clan and its leadership in the care of an outsider?"

Losing what remained of his patience, the Honoured Brother took his cane to Yuu's shoulder and pushed him to the floor, "You who would abandon the Isayama clan's heritage and refuse to take up arms in the struggle, don't you dare tell me you seek this title."

"No, this is not so, Honoured Brother!" Yuu pleaded, "I mean to say there is no need to hand our family's fate over to an outsider at al-"

"Silence!"

"As cowardly and disgraceful a person as I am, a shame to the Isayama name, I also have a daughter! My daughter, Mei, also possesses a strength and will that would not disgrace the Isayama name. Please consider it!"

"This is folly, my father." Another voice interrupted, this one tender and benign.

"Mei!" Yuu mouthed, surprised at what her daughter had just exclaimed.

"Yomi is undoubtedly a highly skilled swordswoman in terms of her slayer capabilities." Mei explained, coming to her father's side, "Furthermore, she's caring for the Tsuchimiya family, a family whose cherished daughter had lost her mother. Within our clan, she is a truly reliable individual. There is no comparing her to someone like me. Isn't that so, Uncle Naraku?"

Naraku stood silently after hearing his niece's words. While the message had been completely in line with his own heart, there was a distinct and almost blatant element of contempt and underlying treachery in her tone of voice and the air she carried about herself as she said it only placed further emphasis on this point. Nodding to show his approval of her statements, his eyes never left her while she aided her father in their departure. There were devils at work in the farthest depths of her mind and he would have to be watchful.

* * *

"Category C, Chochinobake!" One of the uniformed officers exclaimed, loading her standard issue Howa 89 rifle.

As one of the Ministry of Defence's Paranormal Disaster Countermeasure Division, she was on assignment with the rest of her squadron. A swarm of living lanterns had chosen to terrorise a local shopping district. With their ammunition of seal-branded ballistic rounds, they had almost no trouble dealing with the nuisances. After handling the first block, the team moved on. Casualties had been kept at a minimal, but there was another problem that the Ministry of Defence wasn't capable of knowing about.

"Yomi, who are they?" Kagura asked.

Their own Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division had also received the signal and knew well enough to dispatch Yomi and Kagura to the scene considering how little the rivaling ministry actually comprehended, or could. The members of the Ministry of Defence were standard units for general defence of the Japanese nation. With the rise in supernatural disturbances, these units were specially equipped with sensors that allowed them to mimic the natural abilities of slayers to "see" spirits. Eliminating the Category Cs, particularly those, resulted in minor accumulations of a Category E creature.

"Yomi, Kasa-obake!" Kagura warned, though the older slayer already saw them.

Slicing through a smaller band of the living umbrellas launching themselves at her, Yomi's Shishio exorcised the lot with ease and she felt confident Nue would not be needed. She had previously been "scolded", at least in her mind, that her use of Ranguren was excessive. Fading through the attacks of a few more, she spun to bisect all three. Kagura was doing well on her own accord, the Michael 12's blade tearing through the hoods or breaking through their single legs. After the first block was dealt with, Kagura proceeded to the next block, though Yomi was more wary.

_"Really, I honestly don't know what Honoured Brother is thinking." Yuu complained in the car while he and his daughter were still on their way home._

_ "No need to be upset over it." Mei noted to her father's misunderstanding._

As Yomi and Kagura arrived at the next block, the Ministry of Defence had yet to clear it; the arising Category Es had appeared too soon for them to destroy the Category Cs that created them. Also, the current groups of Chochinobake weren't as docile as the ones from the first block. Their lanterns had been lit, which allowed the creatures to use the flames as spitfire or as incendiary devices should their paper skin be torn by the custom rounds. There were far more casualties, though the ruckus had caused most civilians to flee so most of the deaths were that of the ministry itself.

Quickly assessing the situation, Yomi and Kagura took off for both sides, passing through as many of the enemy units as they could. Unlike the ill-prepared Paranormal Division, the two slayers could dodge the flames spewed by the Chochinobake, defend against the spinning, bladed Kasa-obake, and do so while being inconvenienced by the units not wanting to take a backseat in the fight. From dodging bullets to flames, Kagura managed to sever several of the twirling umbrellas, taking only a shallow gash to her right leg. Yomi, in the meantime, was struggling with the ballistics; she had gone to some trouble to draw more of the creatures to her in order to take fire away from her young sister. In her reasoning, if worse came to worst, she could always resort to summoning Ranguren. A few bullets grazed her legs and arms, but luckily, most of them were still headed for proper targets.

"Cease fire!" One of the officers finally ordered.

Taking ragged breaths, Yomi looked over and saw that the Ministry of Defence, though begrudgingly, had chosen to retreat. Smiling and with a shake of her head, she returned to battle only to turn back. She thought she saw the faintest sign of orange and black, the same uniform she remembered belonging to someone in one of her previous, curious, missions. Looking on, she could see someone standing at the backend of a motorcycle, but they were speeding off too quickly for her to identify. Stabbing through the eye of another of the lanterns, she decided to let it go. Noting the "upgraded" lanterns, she strategised using the fire within it to spread upon a horde of approaching enemies. As they were either made of paper or thin fabric, it was quite easy to set them ablaze, which also had the bonus of blinding them and sending them running wildly, which mostly resulted in running into one another to further the attacks effect. With a nod to Kagura, the two of them began using this tactic, targeting the fire-wielding lanterns and sending them hurtling into other foes or impaling them to give their swords the brief embers they needed. However, there would soon be another problem.

"Category D…" Kagura gasped.

"As slayers, we're inherently born to a role in the family that's seldom extended." Mei explained, "Just say I was chosen to be the heir to our clan; what if I was to lose my life in the line of duty? In the end, the title would still be Yomi's."

_"What are you saying, Mei?!" Yuu stuttered in shock, turning to her daughter._

_ "Now take it in reverse, if Yomi was to die, then it isn't unlikely that the title could be mine."_

Yomi sliced apart another of the Shiryo after one had knocked her to it. She had been trying to reach Kagura, the younger slayer frozen in fear of them. Kagura tried to keep up the fight. Both her father and sister were counting on her to do so, but she could barely lift her sword to them without memories of her mother's death flooding her thoughts. The sight of a dead person was enough to make her feel sick and, not only did she have to so many to witness, not only did they all have horrendous injuries, she now had the responsibility of making those injuries worse. She could only imagine the same damage she could produce in other spirits she had no qualms about exorcising on these people. She'd seen what her father did to the other Shiryo before, how the Ga-rei, Byakuei, stormed through all of them, its teeth ripping them to shreds without her father so much as showing any disdain for the action. How could she be expected of the same?

Yomi cartwheeled forward, Shishio cutting through another one right down the center of its body. Rolling through, she slashed horizontally through another two behind it and used the momentum to twist and decapitate one at her back that had followed her progression. Backflipping led to stabbing through the skull of another, which she used to balance herself into placing her legs onto the shoulders of yet another, twisting to bring it to the ground before slicing through both and spinning to a stand. Looking over to Kagura, she realised she was out of options and evoked Ranguren from the sword. Its Houkoha blew apart a great many of the fallen officers and other Shiryo corpses, but there were too many near Kagura to have the attack used effectively. Yomi took to leaving Ranguren with the rest and headed straight for the girl, ducking an enemy lunge and slicing apart its ankle before turning her blade upward to tear through the length of its body. Stabbing a second, she pushed forward with a roar, taking the blade into a third and fourth before pulling it out of their sides and into a fifth. The remaining creatures left Kagura and surrounded her, which was what she wanted and she began picking them apart one at a time, all the while luring them towards her Ga-rei. The entire series was tiresome and she could feel her stamina waning, but her little sister needed her and she wasn't going to give in.

_'Grow stronger…'_ Garaku's words echoed in Kagura's ear.

Watching Yomi exhaust herself against the Category Ds wasn't something she had wanted, but the young slayer simply could not bring herself to attack them. She had honestly given it her best, even bringing her weapon to the neck of one, but that's when her inner strength would be expended and she found her blade stopped, trembling in her hands as she would then be forced to run from oncoming advances. She even managed to chip into one of them, though to be fair, it had been an accident after dodging a few swipes and lunges from other Shiryo.

After taking a moment following her latest run, Yomi noticed that Kagura was almost in a daze, her eyes cast upon the remaining group of enemies. Grunting her fatigue and pulling herself forth, she dashed into the girl, pushing her off to the side and onto the ground before commanding Ranguren to blow the lot away with another Houkoha.

_"Yes, it's still too soon to be discussing such an outcome." Mei murmured, her eyes gazing carelessly at her nails as the car arrived at their doorstep._

* * *

A couple of days later, the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division was assigned to investigate an incident indicative of a Yamabiko. Yamabiko was a spirit that could reproduce any sound like an echo, but with astounding accuracy. In a noisy business district, one could easily cause chaos. Upon arrival, Yomi began light clapping as Kagura scanned the area with a spiritual wave scanner. Naturally, with a creature that could recreate sound, it was unwise to create a loud sound for fear of how loud the reproduction could be.

After a few claps, with nothing on her scopes, Kagura pondered, "It seems the creature's not nearby, Yomi."

"Yes, seems like it." She answered, her attention maintained on discovering the Yamabiko's location.

"Maybe it went to Iwahata's area."

"Let's go to another area and check, Kagura."

As soon as they began to move, Kagura's scanner alerted her to its presence in the vicinity and she relayed it to Yomi. Her older sister quickly hushed the girl as they began hearing echoes of her voice from all sides, impossible to trace even if it did let them know it was there. Readying their weapons as silently as they could, they waited together for it to reveal itself.

A truck's horn followed by the words, "HEY! The hell are you doing?!", ruined their chance at a pre-emptive strike.

The echoes were tremendous and steadily intensifying, eventually causing the windows of the surrounding skyscrapers to shatter. Glass began showering down from above all around them and Yomi was again forced to unleash Ranguren from her sword. The giant beast appeared over the truck, taking all the glass harmlessly into its thickly-furred hide. The driver had been knocked unconscious by the move, but it would be safer for him to remain… calm… inside his vehicle rather than running madly about in panic.

"Category B: Yamabiko." Yomi notified, standing on-guard.

"Is that the cause of all those reported disturbances?" The lesser experienced Kagura asked, looking at the purple and black armless clown creature.

"Alternating wave assault, okay?"

"Okay Pocky!" Cried Kagura, jumping into battle.

Charging forward, Yomi unleashed a straight horizontal swipe, but was met with a copy of herself, much to her shock and disbelief. Annoyingly, the creature repeated her reaction simply to continue its facade of an attack functioning. Kagura quickly jumped in, making a lunge, which likewise produced enough of a sound to let the creature replicate her form and attack, blocking it as well. Acting fast, Yomi ordered her sister to duck out of the way and used Ranguren's Houkoha against it in hopes that the devastating attack would be strong enough to bypass duplicating. However, hearing the orders from Yomi allowed it to reform in her likeness, understand the tactic, then change again at the sound of Houkoha back to its original sound absorbing and reproducing form, which then let it soak in the sonics of the attack and reflect it back. Yomi noticed this, realising her previous conception of the creature to be folly, and dodged the reflected wave in time. Calculating this new information, she recovered and came up with a new strategy just as the Yamabiko retreated to the roof of a nearby parking garage.

"Hurry and chase it down!" She told Kagura.

Nodding, the girl planted Michael 12's scabbard into the asphalt and, grabbing onto the sword in a somersault, launched it from the scabbard with its trigger. The force of it was strong enough to lift and hurl her right up to the roof, the chain attaching the weapon to its scabbard allowing her to retrieve it once she landed. Once she caught her ground, she located the Yamabiko to her left and sped for it, clashing swords as it assumed her shape through the sound of her footsteps. Twisting her weapon, Kagura tried a vertical swing, then spun for a backhand, following it with a swipe of her scabbard, but each move was identically preserved in the motions of the creature. Kicking, she crossed heels with it, flipped, ducked low, and stabbed up to catch its chin, only to have to dodge the same oncoming assault to her own. The swords slid against one another roughly, but Kagura used the force to pull herself around it, switching sides with the creature before rolling forward and striking down, again mimicked perfectly.

"Oh, stop copying me!" She cried out in exhausted frustration.

"Oh, stop copying me!" It repeated, much to the girl's chagrin.

"Ugh, I just said not to copy me!" Kagura growled only to be mimicked again.

Continuing her attack, a slanted downward swing, followed closely with a low spin, upward pull, which was used only to fade into her whipping the scabbard across to hit the side of its head as a way of hopefully disorienting it. Still, the Yamabiko didn't relent and each of these carefully coordinated moves were put to waste with more perfect mirroring.

Meanwhile, Yomi was busy nearby, biding her time for an opening while keeping extremely silent. After taking herself up to the roof with Nue's strong jump, she recalled the creature and held her weapon as stiffly as she could. Stalking from the furthest rim of coverage, she watched as her sister traded unsuccessful blows with it, hoping for the girl to subdue it on her own, but knowing it wasn't a likely possibility.

Finally, leading from a tight clash, Kagura rebounded with an angry grunt and loosed a powerful strike, passing through to the other side just as the Yamabiko did much of the same. Afterwards, both Kagura and her clone breathing her ragged fatigued breaths, she sighed and collapsed to the floor in exhaustion as the creature only resumed its original shape, turning to face her in preparation for the next attack. Exploiting the opportunity, Yomi, who had stalked close enough to them by this point, extended Shishio, successfully plunging the weapon into its back, the blade exiting from its chest. With a creak, the exorcised creature vanished into nothingness.

"Sorry I'm late." Yomi apologised, coming to Kagura's side, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered.

"Are you alright??"

"Yes, I'm fine.."

"Are you alright???"

"Yes, I'm fine…"

Back to back, Yomi and Kagura noticed that the roof was now covered in copies of themselves, repeating every word they were saying.

"There are still more?" Kagura asked aloud, prompting more echoes, "What are we going to do, Yomi?"

With a sigh, Yomi simply answered, "You just don't mistake me for one of them and exorcise me, too", which prompted some whining from the girl.

As both looked ahead with no clear strategy available, a third voice suddenly rang out, "Yomi! Houkoha!"

Looking to her right, atop the roof entrance to the building was Mei. Yomi understood the direction immediately, evoking the Ga-rei and commanding it to send its howling wave upward into the air. The resulting shockwave caused by the recoil destroyed all the parked vehicles, some of which were equipped with alarms. Their destruction triggering those alarms, the variety of all of them disoriented the Yamabiko and send their form fluctuating out of control.

"Now!" Mei shouted, slicing through one with her halberd.

Spinning together, both Yomi and Kagura focused their spiritual energies into their blades and unleashed wave after wave all around themselves, eventually dismembering each of the dazed creatures.

"Your efforts are appreciated." Mei stated, approaching the two once the fight was over.

"Mei, how long has it been." Yomi greeted formally.

"Long time no see." Kagura added, "Was Mei chasing after the Yamabiko from before, too?"

"I was watching your bout." She answered, turning to her, "It was overly inefficient. You both should have known that the Yamabiko like to travel and work in packs."

"I'm sorry." Yomi admitted.

"Put more consideration into your tactics and there's no telling how much less damage you could've done to the city." She continued, "Take better care next time."

Taking her attention then to the Ga-rei at Yomi's side, she placed a lovingly hand on its mane, adding, "Nue, the treasured Ga-rei of the Isayama clan generation upon generation, if its awesome power is not put in the hands of a worthy user and wielded properly, it will come to waste all the same."

Turning her attention back to her younger sister, Mei's next words seemed aimed directly at her, "Just being part of a spiritually powerful clan doesn't guarantee inheriting that same quality."

With all that said, she retracted her highly noticeable weapon into its staff, producing a parasol from the other side. Taking one more look at the two, she left with a casual "stay well" and departed as abruptly as she had come.

* * *

"This is the latest report received from our Observations Center." Kiri reported, "According to analysis of Central Chiyoda, there has been an active increase in the density of supernatural occurrences in the area."

"Who's been attending to these anomalies?" The chief asked.

Kiri looked off to the side, her lips dropping to a frown, "Isayama Mei."

"Oh, Mei-chan's helping out, huh? That's good to hear. I was hoping to enlist her services in our team. Kiri-chan, do you think you could recruit her for me?"

"She refused." Kiri immediately responded.

"What? She dismissed us so quickly?"

"She seems to enjoy being a freelancing slayer. I figure it's both due to her stand-point and that working alongside Isayama Yomi could be uncomfortable for them."

"I guess so. Continue." The chief said, sighing over the loss of a skilled slayer.

"The focal points of each of these occurrences are starting to blur. We're having difficulty pinpointing them."

"In that case, inform all staff to increase efforts and put more consideration into surveillance. The Observations Center should continue active reporting."

"Understood."

"Curious situation." The chief mumbled to herself before proceeding, "Anything else?"

* * *

Elsewhere, Yuu found himself back on the balcony of his older brother once again. This time, however, he was confident, smug to be more precise. With the recent victories his daughter had had against the sudden influx of paranormal activity, Isayama Yuu had something to gloat about. Originally stated by Mei herself was that she could not compare to Yomi and, thus, should not be considered an equal rival to her as heir. However, whereas Yomi seemed to be slacking off and succumbing to fatigue, Mei was rising to the challenge at hand and felling all enemy targets at that.

"Honoured Brother, might I have a word." He spoke aloud, carrying with his words an undeniable air of contempt.

"What is it you want, Yuu?" Naraku asked with a frown, knowing full well what was coming.

"This spell of spiritual anomalies is certainly bizarre, isn't it?" Yuu continued, sidestepping his actual intent.

"Yes, there must be some malevolent force at work." Naraku responded, his eyes falling on the city in the distance, "What do you make of it, Yuu?"

Off on his own reverie, Yuu only answered this with, "It's a good thing Mei has been so diligent about her duties as a slayer. How is Yomi faring?"

"She does her best. That is all I can expect of her." Naraku replied with a heavy sigh, "Troubles are being stacked against her and it worries me."

"Well, if she can't handle the burden, I am sure Mei could help."

Those words stung and the head of the Isayama estate took to walking right up to his younger brother and confront him directly about his true purpose for visiting. Yuu's former humility and respect for his Honoured Brother had long since vanished, replaced by a coy grin and a look of superiority. Naraku, unfortunately, could not bolster any worthwhile counter. Yomi had been faltering and Mei was actually doing a remarkable job of hunting down all the occurrences and with minimal damages at that.

"Think on it, Honoured Brother. There may come a time when your judgements will determine your own longevity." Yuu reminded in as kind a tone he could despite his meaning being blatant disdain for his brother's loyalties to an outsider.

Taking his leave, Yuu near sauntered out of Naraku's home. Naraku could only endure the man's joy at his expense. As any proud father, his younger brother had every right to flaunt his daughter's successes. He admitted to himself then that he was guilty of much the same with Yomi, always contented by the young woman's victories in battle and progress in training. Still, there was something odd about this current situation that delved further than simple fatherly pride being broken. Walking himself back to the edge of the balcony, he watched as Yuu entered his vehicle, prompting his driver to take off. Hopefully, it wouldn't result in irrevocable wounds.

* * *

"There is an indication that human spirit manifestations of Category D creatures are also on the rise." Kiri proceeded, reading from the report, "Previously, they accumulated in all sectors evenly and the damage they produced was minimal so there wasn't much issue, but now they seem to concentrate in some areas and cases of mystical disruption are increasing."

The chief was visibly concerned over this news, noting to herself that increases like these were completely unnatural even to such an esoterically mysterious phenomenon. Working it out, she figured it must have been the advent of malevolent factors, or miasma, which attracted creatures like this. Still, if that was the case, there was still one card left to play.

"Do we know what caused the first of these incidents in elevated miasma?" She asked her assistant.

"As a result of what happened during that case, our team pulled out to let Tsuchimiya's father exorcise all the Category Ds. We could not gain any further information from the event."

"Then, it still leaves the question of what's causing the odd behaviour in these creatures."

* * *

Whipping her halberd upward, Isayama Mei sliced through yet another of the Category Cs she was dealing with, landing gracefully on the nearby rooftop. Surveying the area for further targets, she found only the scattering remains and reached for her sash, taking out a small vial. It was almost black in colour and bore a monstrous face at its center contorted in a menacing grin.

"Kameosa, I'll be needing your services again." Mei spoke to the object, removing its stop.

Out of the vial spewed a puff of black smoke that sank into the ground where Mei stood. The substance was a condensed form of malevolent spiritual energy, also known as miasma. Smiling at her work, she eagerly awaited the next swarm of enemies that would be drawn to it. The puff was only enough to be noticeable to weaker creatures so she needed not fear becoming overwhelmed. Miasma of this sort could be used in all sorts of venues with its ability. In some training sessions, a vial just like the one she was carrying could be used to pull in a crowd of weaklings just to exorcise. One could also use just the right quantity to attract a particular kind of creature if practice in besting it was desired. Of course, one might also try this on bringing a certain intolerable creature, say a Category D: Ningen no Shiryo, against an unwanted cohort. Yes, with just some of the substance placed inside a tiny but aged for a century container, called a Kameosa, a type of container that regenerated any substance placed inside of it, a person in the know could have an endless supply ready for use whenever one wanted. Glancing up with a devious smile, Mei saw her next victim, leapt from her perch, and struck.

* * *

"And what about Kagura?" The chief asked.

"Since that last incident, we've been trying to assign teams other than Kagura's to handle cases of Category Ds. However, I feel it'll come down to a day when she'll have to accept her responsibilities as a slayer." Kiri stated.

"That's true, but for now, let's leave it this way." The chief replied, rolling her chair out to the side, "Yomi-chan's been overdoing it in her role as big sister, hasn't she?"

"Kagura's being spoiled into an overly gentle and delicate kid."

"Those two are certainly close, not like any typical-"

"In our line of work, that kind of closeness could be fatal."

Taking a breath and wheeling herself to one of the drawers next to her desk, the chief asked, "How is Kagura doing?"

"She's terrified of only the Category Ds. With all these new occurrences, more civilians are being harmed and that means more corpses for the Akureika to possess."

She sighed, "What about Yomi?"

"As always, Yomi protects Kagura whenever she can. It's proving to be extensively draining on her part. She's been injured several times already and her waning faith in her skills from being outdone by Mei isn't helping."

"Yomi was in competition with Mei? Doesn't sound like Yomi."

"I don't think it's about that. Yomi is a leading figure in the Isayama clan. It's possible she doesn't want to fail them or her father so being saved by Mei and not being able to hold up her end when Mei seems to be excelling could be affecting her belief in herself." Kiri noted.

"That will be all." The chief said, dismissing her assistant.

Opening the drawer she had placed herself before, she recovered a ring and put it on her right hand. Gazing at it, she turned her attention back to the grid and all the anomalies present on it. Things would get worse before they could even hope it'd get better.

* * *

"That should do it for today." Mei said to herself, her halberd still piercing the surface of the roof where her last conquest had been.

Taking out her Kameosa, she began gazing almost lovingly at the small vial. Her blank stare curled into a sinister grin as she lightly walked towards the edge of the balcony, peering just over the railing. Lifting her slender fingers up, she gently grazed the vial, tracing its length from the bottom until she reached the stop at the top.

"But, it is still early. Maybe one more round before I return." She added, beginning to lift the seal.

Without warning, a spike rained down, blasting through the Kameosa and exorcising it. When Mei turned back, she saw what appeared to be a small collection of butterflies overhead just fluttering about. Quickly walking back to retrieve her weapon, another spike came down, passing just behind her as she grabbed for the halberd, rolling to dodge another one. Two more spikes came, this time from directly in front of her. Using the bladed end of the staff, she deflected each, following by sending a wave of her spiritual energy through it at the butterflies. Unfortunately, they were so few and far between that the wave passed harmlessly through, hardly capable of touching any of them. The aura of malice that surrounded it, however, was more successful, disintegrating the lot.

"How amusing." A voice echoed, though its owner could not be seen.

From the distance, another wave of spikes shot forth, forcing Mei to flip backwards a few times in order to dodge them all. They landed harmlessly into the balcony's surface, but soon faded away into nothingness. If it hadn't been for the holes they made in the concrete, there would have been no notice that they had ever been there. Mei was anxious by this point. Scanning visually with her eyes had failed her, but her other senses as a trained slayer offered her some comfort and insight. She waited patiently for any sign to show her a position and, sure enough, there was a strong spiritual force appearing behind her. Turning quickly, she sliced the being in two; however, it was only another swarm of the butterflies, this time taking a humanoid shape. They, too, were obliterated by Mei's malicious aura.

"Show me your true self!" She demanded.

"What do you plan to when that happens?" The voice replied, its tone sounding in equal amounts of amusement and boredom.

"It is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world." Mei recited, still showing her slayer's heritage.

"Very well." It said.

Moments later, footsteps began sounding off the floor of the roof. As Mei watched on, the origin of the footsteps began appearing, first as shoes, then completing its way up to reveal a boy with white hair, only old enough to be about 15, if even that much. Even so, in Mei's eyes, there was a dark energy behind him, the proof that he was no longer human and was truly a…

"You're a powerful evil spirit, are you not?" She inquired of him, readying herself for attack.

"Well, it seems to be like that, eh?" He replied, a tone unfitting of his young appearance, "Or maybe it might be due to the stone I have that your senses told you that."

"Stone?"

"Yes, the Sesshouseki." The boy declared, lifting the hair covering his left eye to reveal a ruby-like gem replacing it, "Do you know of it?"

Mei immediately plunged her halberd into his chest, but this time it was to no avail. He simple cocked his eyes up at her, a Cheshire grin blazing at the girl. Mei was honestly terrified, dropping her weapon and falling back.

"You have a wonderfully vicious soul in you." The boy said, plucking the weapon from his torso to allow the wound to close, "I am Mitogawa Kazuhiro. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"You son of a-"

"Now now. I have a proposition for you." He told her.

"Why would I deal with you?"

Continuing on his own dialogue, Mitogawa said, "Envy, Wrath, Hatred, Antipathy, Desire, I live to exploit these things. This stone has the allure, a power to attract those who seek these things like flowers drawing butterflies."

"What does that have to do with me?" Mei asked recovering her halberd as her courage began returning to her.

"The Sesshouseki can attract the evil spirits you want to hunt." He answered, "You can slay as many as you'd like, even take on the stronger ones that can really help your prestige."

"And what do you gain in this?"

"I seek the Hyakki Yako. The more of those wretched emotions present in the world, the easier it will be to attain it."

"The Hyakki Yako? The Night of One Hundred Demons?" Mei grunted, "How could you expect me to help you with that?"

"Oh you won't be, at least not directly. I just want your desire to surpass your rivals. It is a delicious aura that bathes you." Mitogawa replied, licking his lips slowly.

Mei cringed, "I will not be a part of the Hyakki Yako, even if it means I never get what I deserve."

"Really? Frankly, the Kameosa you were using tells me otherwise. You already know how much you've poisoned this city with it." Mitogawa mused, steadily approaching his prey, "What does your heart truly want? Refusal?"

Mei looked uneasily at the boy, her mind confusing her as her heartbeats quickened. She knew what she had done; the miasma she continually seeped was toxic to the environment and even the living, even a slayer such as her, would suffer its effects. She had reasoned with herself that she was doing it to prove them all wrong, that she, Isayama Mei, was the strongest in the family, deserving of the sword Shishio, deserving of the coveted title as head of the Isayama clan. She would have stopped once they had given her what was rightfully hers. She would have stopped once Yomi was dead. She would have stopped once everything and everyone finally did what they should have done and given her justice.

"I can give you your justice." Mitogawa added, his person standing right before her, his eyes glaring wildly into hers.

Mei felt a horrible blush creep over her features as everything in her mind told her a gift had been placed in front of her and she would be a fool not to accept it. She was a slayer and those thoughts were evil. She was overlooked and cast aside for an outsider.

Slowly nodding, a stray tear fell from her eye, sliding down her cheek as she began moving her lips weakly, "Yes."

* * *

A week later, with more and more reports of spiritual anomalies and drastic incidents across Japan, Yomi and Kagura's team began excessively dealing with call after call; all the while, Mei had seemingly been one step ahead, having taken down several points almost like clockwork. At the latest target, just outside of Mito in the Ibaraki Prefecture, a large fishing vessel had been attacked.

"What happened?" Kazuki asked one of the fishermen.

"She took them!" One cried.

"She took them!" Followed by a second.

Soon, every one of the sailors had latched themselves onto Kazuki, tears pouring from their eyes and shouting about how a beautiful woman took "something" from them. As he was certainly out of action, Iwahata, Nori, the Nabuu Brothers, and the tag team of Yomi and Kagura went to their newly built, just arrived speed boat and took it to the point where the sailors had said… well, screamed they had found her.

At an island shaped like a giant spiral shell, the team discovered a beautiful woman, dressed in delicate silk robes and with strands of smooth satin hair draping her shoulders. She was leaning against the "shell" of the island barefoot as she casually glanced over to the boat. Immediately fazed were all the men save Iwahata, who like Yomi and Kagura, shared a look of disdain for their lovestruck teammates.

"Category B: Sazae-oni." Kagura reported, readying Michael 12.

"Yea, but you have to wonder what conditioner she uses on her hair." Yomi joked, releasing Shishio from its sheath.

Iwahata was assigned by default to deal with Nori, the Nabuu brothers, and Kazuki, keeping them back so the girls could exorcise the snail ogre of a woman. However, in response, the woman leaped back and, from the muck coating the Sazae-oni's shell erupted twin turrets. As she gave the command, the turrets began launching rounds of gold spheres and effectively halted their progress. Iwahata scrambled to get each of the men down so he could manage the boat. Several shots had already punctured its frame, but the crucial hull and engine were left unharmed so they still had a fighting change.

Back on shore, Mei had arrived on scene after having taken care of an assortment of low-level spirits. She had to admit; this Mitogawa Kazuhiro was useful and had enough darkness inside his Sesshouseki to attract so many creatures, far better and easier than her miasma spilling. Also, once she was head, she could exorcise him, relieve him of his Sesshouseki and have it purified, and it will be like a dream. Purifying the stone would leave no trace of the evil that she was forced to stain her home with when using the miasma. Exorcising the obviously Category A being that Mitogawa was would earn her much respect as head of the Isayama clan, and in the end, no one would have to know what she'd done.

"Looks like a Category B, Yomi. Can you handle it?" She gloated, looking on.

Eventually, she would choose to come to her cousin's aid, but she would take her time with it. First, Yomi needed to understand her place in the family. She needed to know her insignificance as an outsider, a pet as it were, and not an heir.

Yomi leaped from the boat onto the snail itself, intent on fighting the woman at close range. The turret was quickly dealt with as she landed, slicing down into the shell's surface and dismantling it. Kagura progressed the assault, flipping over Yomi to try and hit the girl. Rather than dodge, she simple let herself be severed, her body exploding into streams of seaweed that ensnared both.

"Ah, the girl was a fake!" Kagura screamed.

Mei was starting the boat now, though, this time, she was really trying. She had wanted Yomi to suffer, but none of the others. She was still a slayer and that meant saving the living from supernatural forces that would bring them to harm. The motor began to start and she took hold of the rudder just in time to see, erupting from the waters in front of her, the dragon spirit Shinryu. The Shinryu was the closest to a Category A a Category B could get. Mei was visibly shaken and barely managed the backflip to avoid the ensuing dive by the beast.

"Kagura, we can only do two things to it. We can dive into the water and attack it directly, but we'll be in its element or we can keep chipping away at its shell and hope to break into its body." Yomi informed, the two having freed themselves from their bindings.

"Yomi, I think we have other problems!" Kagura whined, pointing over to the boat where Iwahata had been knocked unconscious by the as yet to recover men of the group.

Standing amongst them in the same silken robes but with her hair now in a ponytail, was the woman linked to the Sazae-oni, presiding over Yomi and Kagura's teammates as puppet master with her army of puppets. Yomi and Kagura could only cringe, knowing full well they could not deal with them, particularly Nori whose Kuda-gitsune was just slightly subpar to Yomi's Ranguren. Waving her hand, the woman ordered Nori and Kazuki to advance onto the shell and face the two directly while her plans for the Nabuu brothers was more sinister. After two plunks were heard, Kagura gasped having figured out what their role was.

"Yomi! She's going to drown them!"

"I think we're not going to be able to help them anytime soon." Yomi replied, her eyes never leaving Nori.

With the appearance of a horde of Kuda-gitsune, Mei knew this was going to go poorly. The Shinryu prevented her from reaching the Sazae-oni and it was a strong creature to face. With those two members of the Supernatural Countermeasures Team sent into the water, she calculated there would be at least the two victims, if not one of the two other men by Yomi's hand. Furthermore, there was the last man still unconscious on their speed boat with the apparitional host of the creature beside him.

Turning her attention back to Nori and his Ga-rei, Kagura tried to lunge for him and thrust him with the hilt of her sword as a ploy to knock him unconscious, which would dismiss the arsenal of spiritual beasts. However, Kazuki was wise to it and allowed himself to be tackled instead by a surprised and unprepared Kagura, wrapping his arms around her once they hit the surface. With her partner indisposed, Yomi had no options left but to evoke her own Ga-rei. Ranguren took the shots of charging fox spirits, but Nori was persistent and grounded Yomi and Nue. Finally making a move, the giant snail created seaweed figures to attack Yomi in the small area she had left. Tight quarters made wielding Shishio effectively near impossible so it was no time at all before she was disarmed and bound by them, their forms slowly melting into the shell with Yomi still entangled.

Mei finally caught the Shinryu after another one of its dives, having jumped just as it landed, exposing its spine to her halberd downward strike. Severing the dragon in two, it began to collapse forward just in time to catch Mei's horizontal swipe, slicing straight through its jaw and killing it. Without delay, the slayer found another boat and sped to her fellow slayers' aid.

First pulling up alongside the snail, she dove into the water to rescue the Nabuu brothers, using her weapon's long staff to pull both up at once. Securing them on her boat, she then proceeded to Yomi's boat to save Iwahata. Immediately upon boarding, the woman pulled Mei to herself in a tight embrace, trapping the slayer's arms at her sides. Looking deeply into her eyes, the woman's features suddenly curled into a smirk before pressing her lips to Mei's.

Kagura freed herself from Kazuki by biting his arm and then promptly sent him into a daze by striking him across the temple with her scabbard. Nori took notice and turned his Ga-rei on her. However, Yomi had managed to pull one arm free from the burrowing seaweed to clasp onto the blade of her Shishio, the physical contact which allowed her to call back Nue. Once her Ga-rei returned, she had it protect Kagura from the Kuda-gitsune, which then allowed Kagura to punt Nori and slam her scabbard down against his skull. Quickly going to Yomi's aid, she used the Michael 12 to slice apart the seaweed, which having been in the process of feeding Yomi's body to the snail underneath, had created the breach they needed to destroy the creature.

"Ranguren! Houkoha!" Yomi commanded, rolling away so the Ga-rei could blast the exposed area.

The attack tore straight through the Sazae-oni's form, reaching into the water and causing splash-back. Once the main body was destroyed, the woman it created began to falter, letting go of Mei who immediately wiped her lips. Lifting the halberd to her side, she passed it to her other side and exorcised the woman in a huff.

"Mei! Thank you so much for helping us." Kagura said, hopping back onto the boat.

"Yes, thank you for saving us." Yomi added with a bow.

"You two need to be more mindful about slaying." Mei callously spat, "Stay well."

She left as fast as she could, returning to her boat, returning the passengers, and taking off. Once she arrived on shore, she took one quick glance back at them before hurrying to make her exit. Mitogawa was formidable. If the dragon hadn't made the mistake that it did, she would not have made it on time and those two would have drowned, the Mohawk man would have been killed by the apparition, and perhaps even Yomi and Kagura would have been taken by the creature. Mitogawa was dangerous and now she was involved in a plot she had no idea would have gone so far. Then again, she did manage to slay the Shinryu. She had saved the day, exorcised the creature without any casualties. Perhaps, despite the ulterior motives of the malignant spirit, she could still persevere. Yes, she would have everything she wanted and there would be no cost for victory whatsoever. That was how it would be. That was what it should be.

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-:**

**罪螺旋**** － ****つみのらせん****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 06**

**Translations: **(Names I'm obviously not going to do.)

羨望選択 － せんぼうのせんたく －

_Senbou no sentaku_

Envy of the Chosen

Ba-ka *or baka* – Idiot

Ningen no Shiryo – Deceased Human Souls

~nyan – This is not a proper title and was said only because Yomi's Yomi. =p It's the Japanese for meow.

Kitsune – Fox/Fox Spirit

Chochinobake – Lantern Ghost

Kasa-obake – Umbrella Ghost

Yamabiko – Spirit of the Mountain

Kameosa – Long Bottle

Akureika – Evil Spirits

Hyakki Yako – Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

Sazae-oni – Turban Snail Ogre

Shinryu – Divine Dragon

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-: **罪螺旋 － つみのらせん －

_Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: __Tsumi no rasen_

Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Spiral of Crime


	3. 罪螺旋

**喰霊－ 零－**

Will you kill someone you love, because of love?

この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!

_Disclaimer:_ Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!

_A/N:_ Sorry for taking so long to update. I have been working on my other fiction, as well as this one, while being weighed down by several other things I won't bore you lot with. Let's just say I think I overdid it. ^_^;;;

In any event, this chapter will finally commit itself to what I changed about the plot and continue into the tragic ending. I've also expanded the role of the Isayama clan, not just for Mei, but just to see how much character I can afford to those minor characters that barely received any proper mention before they were Mitogawa'd.

Speaking of which, for those that were keeping up, this past month, the final chapter of Ga-rei was translated and released on , finalizing the fates of all its characters. Some have voiced complaints about it, but I feel as though it was a decent ending and that some factors played to making it a very welcome story to what has been made as of late. I wonder if Ga-rei Zero's release helped in how Segawa-san ended the story, but I would've hoped for it all the same.

Now, on to my reviews:

To Ominae: Haha, I know what you mean and I'll try to incorporate more of the MOD to my fiction, though you can be assured that the Tokusen Shikai are going to play a larger role than the simple canon fodder they were in the original series.

To depression76: Well, the original had its moments, which is why I haven't changed everything and gone a complete tangent from the established events, but I did strongly feel that there were a few characters that could have been given larger roles, which could play on the tragedy even more, which is what I'm going to do here. I hope you'll enjoy my fiction enough to seek the original for a comparison. Haha, it might sound daft of me, but you may just find reason enough to crossover the two similar universes for a third story of your own.

To MaesLawliet: Yes, that's why I did it. Those two episodes really didn't hold much value and I didn't understand why it couldn't have been made into one toss-away episode to show how Yomi and Kagura used to be at the best point in their lives. It just didn't seem to need so much emphasis. Likewise with Mei, I felt as though her character was developing so well and then they just stopped to build the Mitogawa plot. It felt like a waste which is why I've changed it, and yet kept it in the same vein as you'll see in this chapter.

Now, without further interruption, I present the next chapter of Ga-Rei Zero,

**罪螺旋****－****つみのらせん****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 06**

Butterflies fluttered about a darkened and dreary rooftop on this calm, cool evening. Their wings gave off a cerulean lustre, glistening against the light down below and the stars shining above. As Mitogawa Kazuhiro looked down at the crowded streets below, rocking himself back and forth, he entertained himself with their day-to-day actions, the comings and goings that they all took for granted. Mitogawa knew he used to be one of them, too, sadly going about a mundane existence totally oblivious to life's wretched reality. It changed for him that day, on that trip. He'd lost his parents, particularly his treasured mother, and knew from then on what life was really about. He knew how the world worked and paid a heavy price to learn it.

"But now things work according to my design, or rather, I'm finally on the side that works for me and you my little ones all march along in line with my unspoken orders. How foolish." He purred to them, "I didn't even lift a finger yet and already things couldn't be going more my way. Greed, envy, and all those delicious little ambitions of yours have given me the keys to your soul and you gave them to me so willingly, I could never have guessed my good fortune."

It was true. Humanity was filled with selfishness, hate, and from that, it connives amongst one another to ultimately destroy their competition, though in the end, that competition is still part of humanity so they only harm themselves in the end. Just like those people who his parents had trusted, who his father reassured were the best and would most definitely keep them safe. So much for that.

"Now you can trust in me, dad. You can rest assured that this world has seen nothing yet of its true colour and I'll be the one to show them in definite severity. And I just might some fun in between." With that, Mitogawa's Sesshouseki glowed bright and he was gone, leaving behind a single butterfly wing.

* * *

Naraku carefully examined the reports as he sat at his desk. Yomi and Kagura had gone off to shop for groceries, which left him enough peace and quiet to go about his researching. The surges in spiritual activity weren't forming naturally. While it wouldn't be so easily deciphered by others, his experience showed him that the recent series of anomalies had been completely out of place and out of character. He couldn't figure out what or who was behind it, though, but he knew some artificial device was at work and this would disturb the balance of the kami. If it wasn't put to a stop, a most disastrous event would eventually follow.

* * *

"I want to eat cream croquette, nyan." Yomi purred in literal fashion as she and Kagura walked down the aisle of the supermarket.

"That's really complicated to make." Kagura replied, looking at her sister as she continued to push the cart to her intended destination.

"Well, it's Kagura who's making it so that's fine, nyan." Yomi mused, her arms tucked casually behind her head.

"Eh? Me?"

"Apprentice obeys her master, nyan."

Kagura sighed, hanging her shoulders down, "Yomi used to insist on making anything for me before."

Rolling the cart to one of the freezers, she selected a frozen package of said snack and put it in the cart. Yomi was taken aback by it, considering how much worse the quality was with frozen compared to freshly-made with some tender love and care. It was safe to say master was not pleased. However, Kagura returned her complaints with ease.

"Don't be so picky. Mother is a very busy woman." She stated proudly, putting the package into the cart much to Yomi's dismay, "What's next?"

"Buy snacks!" Yomi chirped, cutely raising a hand up in the air.

"Mother approves!" Kagura responded, doing likewise.

The light atmosphere, however, would abruptly come to an end there. While Yomi browsed through the selection, Kagura came to a stop, her eyes staring at one of the items on the bottom shelf she was currently kneeling in front of.

"Hey Yomi," She began, "Am I useful?"

"What are you saying?" Yomi asked incredulously, "Is this about the Shiryo?"

With a very slight nod from the little one, Yomi knew she needed to offer some comforting words to lift her spirits, "No worries. That's not one of the things in Kagura's control."

"I guess so."

* * *

"We're back!" The girls chimed in unison once they arrived back home.

Naraku had just chosen to get some air when they returned and was contented with their youthful presence, saying a hearty "welcome home" before asking if Kagura had seen her father as of late. If not, it would behoove her to do as such. Garaku had recently returned from an exhausting mission and could use his daughter's support.

In reality, he knew Garaku had wanted to teach Kagura about the inheritance of the Tsuchimiya family, the sacred Ga-rei, Byakuei. Meanwhile, Naraku himself had wanted to get Yomi alone to speak to her about recent events. Something was amiss and he wanted to discover the facts before it was too late for the country to recover.

* * *

When Kagura reached her house, it was already dark. The dimly light streets echoed her present state of mind as she thought on how hard her father had been fighting and honouring the Tsuchimiya name while she still couldn't bring herself to perform a simple exorcism on those Category Ds. She was ashamed of her easily exploitable weakness and afraid to face her father because of it, but she knew she would have to eventually. The only ray of hope left was that her father could forgive and look past that flaw in light of Kagura eventually overcoming it. She just needed time to cope with what she was doing.

Sliding open the door to her father's room, Kagura saw that he was in the middle of tending to a new wound sustained during his missions. From what she could see, there was a large gash down his left shoulder, so deep she feared his arm could detach at any time. She gasped, this allowing Garaku to notice her presence.

"Kagura?" He grumbled, continuing to tend to his injuries.

"Yes, I've returned home." Kagura spoke solemnly, entering the room and sliding the door shut, "Let me help you with that."

Garaku nodded, placing a piece of gauze he had just unrolled onto his shoulder and handing Kagura the bandages to hold it in place. Kagura wrapped her father's injury quickly and silently, not once daring to look into his eyes. Instead, she took to focusing on the bandage she was wrapping her father with, slight shivers crawling down her spine each time she had to see that awful wound.

"Are you alright?" She asked her father.

"As long as it isn't fatal," Was his reply, "I can let it utilise the Sesshouseki's power to heal itself. Do not worry."

"But it looks like it hurts."

"That's also part of the responsibility we shoulder. What happened with your leg?"

"A few days ago… during a mission…"

"That was careless."

"I'm sorry. I'll be more mindful in the future."

Garaku got on his shirt, sighing before telling his daughter that, "In the future, you'll eventually have to inherit Byakuei. If you don't have a thorough awareness in your tasks, you'll never be able to inherit it properly."

Standing up, he took another breath and kept his back to Kagura, "Uniting with a Ga-rei provides you with Byakuei's spiritual power. It is a wild beast that can and will completely engulf any dense miasma from either personnel or surroundings. Our ancestors fused their very own souls with it as a means for assimilation and thus used their own body as the spiritual seal for Byakuei. Accordingly, generation after generation, we continue to maintain the seal on Byakuei. Releasing the seal frees it to attack for us and use its might as a powerful spiritual beast for our purposes in slaying. However, once a person's soul has been bound to Byakuei, it can never be freed. If one should desire to break the bond, it would mean that one's soul be forfeit. It would be the end of that person's life. Remember this well, Kagura."

Opening the door, he made one final and exceedingly painful statement, reminding Kagura what she had most not wanted to think about, "Grow stronger." Then, he was gone, leaving Kagura feeling broken inside, further doubting herself in her path as a slayer.

* * *

After Kagura left for home, Naraku put a gentle hand on Yomi's shoulder and guided her to his office. Inside, he walked to the window while a puzzled Yomi wondered what was troubling her father. For a while, neither spoke, Naraku content with looking outside at the setting sun, trying not to think about what he had to do in the near future. He only hoped Yomi was strong enough to carry on when he retired, which would regrettably be soon.

"Father?" Yomi finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Yomi, I wanted to ask you about the recent missions you've been on with the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division." Naraku responded, a grave tone about his voice as he continued to look outside.

"Yes?"

"There have been a great many incidents in recent times. How are you faring?"

"The evil spirits seem to be growing in number and strength, but other than having more trouble in exorcising them, nothing else seems odd. Maybe it's just a bubble."

Naraku turned to Yomi, a worried look in his eyes, "Yomi, we both know the epicenters of all these recent events are not normal. Surely I've taught you better than this."

"I didn't want to alarm you, father. Yes, these recent anomalies are very strange and seem to be occurring much more clustered and in random orientation than previously monitored. What do you think might be going on?" Yomi replied, "Could it be pollution or an imbalance in the Spiritual Matrix?"

"Both. It feels like it's both, doesn't it Yomi?" Naraku said, a furrow placing itself upon his brow, "Curious. Yomi, what have you seen of Mei?"

Upon hearing the question, Yomi's violet eyes immediately lit up, "Mei is so amazing! You heard about how she single-handedly defeated a horde of Ushi-oni without breaking a sweat, right? And on our last mission, she saved Kagura from a Category A: Futabi. Even Nue and I couldn't get to her in time because we were having trouble exorcising that other Category A: Hitobi. And she helped me take care of that thing, too."

At this point, Yomi had her hands behind her back, almost swooning over Mei's immense skill as she gazed out of the window. Naraku looked on with concern for his surrogate daughter. She was not reacting to Mei's upscaling her in the way he had hoped she would. On the contrary, the girl seemed quite taken by this tale of bravery and skill that Mei was suddenly demonstrating following Yuu's attempt at replacing Yomi with her as heir to the head of the Isayama clan. He was a bit disappointed that his daughter who had been trained well to decipher subterfuge when it occurred would be so steadfast in falling in line with Mei's turn to formidable slayer.

Taking a sigh and looking downward, Yomi's expression became more sober and solemn as she continued on, adding, "I have to admit, at first, when she scolded me about Nue in the Yamabiko mission, I was upset, but after she selflessly saved us from the Sazae-oni after already facing that powerful Shinryu, I felt ashamed for those ill-feelings towards her. She was only teaching me how to be a better slayer."

Naraku sighed grievously, the furrow in his brow creasing ever more as he watched the girl he raised since infancy suddenly become so gullible to the obvious deceits of her elder sibling. Isayama Mei had to be up to something. Days ago when she reacted so positively to being rejected the prospect of inheriting the coveted title her father fought adamantly to gain her, he had already known something would start. It had to be Mei that was causing this. A simple Kameosa filled with a sampling of weak miasma would be all she needed to throw the spirits off balance and create those bizarre signals.

"Are you sure you haven't noticed anything else out of place with these surges in spiritual activity?" Naraku asked again, hoping Yomi would confirm his doubts.

"Nothing besides the abnormally high concentration of them. I'll keep an eye out for anything strange next time. I'm sure it's probably just a random bubble and with Mei around, we'll pop it in no time." Yomi answered with a whole-hearted smile.

In typical circumstances, seeing his daughter's smile would have been enough to shed away any troubles he had, but this was no ordinary worry. Naraku could already see the bleak outcome of this "bubble" as Yomi put it. Evil was at work, evil none of them could possibly prepare for. Mei, regardless if she knew it or not, was aiding this evil in fulfilling its goal, playing her part in its schemes. Furthermore, evil like this was dangerous; it was dangerous beyond expectable bounds and Naraku knew he wanted his daughter to have no part in it for fear of her safety. Powerful and clever she might be, but he was still her father and could never bear to send her into harm's way. No, this time was a time for the head of the Isayama clan to return to active duty. This was a mission only suitable for him and no other.

As such, he made this request of his daughter: "Yomi, tomorrow is your day-off from your duties at the Ministry of the Environment. I want you to leave Shishio at home and spend the day like a normal girl your age. It's bad enough you have to travel into the worst areas of this country; I don't need you training during your brief moments of recess. Perhaps you could spend the day with Kagura and just have some fun. Is that understood?"

Yomi was quite beside herself, "Father, what do you mean? I usually just patrol a little when I get bored. There's not that much to do around here and Kagura still has a lot to learn. May-"

"You mustn't forget about your rest. Kagura, as well. There are two pieces to training: One is to hone your skills and to develop through practice. However, there is another side to training. Haven't I said this to you before?"

"Yes, another part of training isn't physical but conceptual. Sometimes fatigue makes it impossible to complete a new form and the only way to overcome it is to relax one's mind, ease a bit back, and let go of one's competitive nature in desiring accomplishment."

"After your mind has been cleared, purged of frustration and doubt, you may find your solutions much more quickly and thus develop faster than if you stubbornly forced your way through." Naraku finished.

"I understand. Still, I don't think I have anything I'm confused about."

"Yes, but Kagura does and she needs her big sister. She needs you to help her understand how to surpass the drawback she has when dealing with Ningen no Shiryo."

"Understood. I guess I'll just leave Shishio in my room then." Yomi accepted, "Tomorrow, I'll take Kagura to the city center and do a little shopping to take her mind off of things."

Naraku nodded his approval and dismissed Yomi from his den. Looking out of his window again, he concentrated on the next tasks at hand. This situation would be getting worse before it could get better.

* * *

"So much for shopping." Yomi sighed as they faced-off in the park.

Yomi's eyes were trained to the point of her mokuto, which preceded her against her opponent. Though they were fixed to one spot, her mind scanned for any slight movement within her range of vision or any vantage point she could exploit. Kagura, too, followed in this fashion, looking to see any weaknesses in her sister's stance. For a while, neither moved, each calculating the mistakes the other could make.

Without warning, Kagura burst from her spot, lunging for Yomi with her own mokuto. Casually, Yomi stepped back, taking the strike into her weapon, pulling close before spinning to strike Kagura in the back of her neck. The other girl ducked the attack, turned, and stabbed upward, catching Yomi's weapon and sliding across it while she stood. Unlocking weapons, they clashed a few more times, first to Yomi's left, then down at the waist, then back up near Kagura's neck, each strike failing to meet its mark as the other's defensive prowess was perfectly matched. Purposefully, Yomi slid her left foot back and displayed an easily advantaged area on her left. Kagura, taking notice, struck forward, placing her mokuto in a killing position right beside her sister's neck.

"Very graceful," Yomi declared, closing her eyes to take a breath, "but not worth the price."

As she pointed out, her own mokuto had already broken through Kagura's defence and was already in killing position before she set up her own at Yomi's neck. In an actual battle, this would have resulted in Kagura's death. She had become careless at the first sign of a vantage point.

"In a match, if you receive two grave hits, you lose." Yomi pressed on, "Don't use sacrificial or suicidal tactics to win your battle. Instead, think through your moves to defeat your opponents without taking damage to yourself."

"Okay."

"Still, you've really grown stronger." Yomi added, smiling at the progress her little sister had made, "Just before, using only counters, it took a long time to bring out that lure style to get to you."

Kagura's face abruptly became melancholic and her voice lowered, as well, as she murmured, "Yomi, can I really keep going on like this?"

"Kagura…"

"In the beginning, I didn't really understand what this role was about. Seeing Yomi's tremendous spiritual power made me want to be as strong, too. I kept thinking that stopping evil spirits to protect everyone was a very cool thing to do. But… now… I'm not sure anymore."

"Kagura." Yomi muttered, great concern for her sister enveloping every fiber of her being.

"What should I do?"

To this, Yomi thought of a good response, perhaps one that could help the girl out, saying, "Well, I don't know. I can only say a few 'ganbare' to cheer Kagura on or I can tell you to give up. However, in the end, it's only Kagura that can make up her mind just what she should do. Right now, whatever's troubling you, forget what anyone tells you and listen to your heart. Believe in yourself to find the answer to your question. At the very least, this is how I made it this far."

"Yomi…" Kagura said, her eyes starting to light up.

"Stop worrying about what the final result might be. As long as Kagura is the only one doing what Kagura wants for herself, I'll always be by your side."

Seeing Kagura's smile, Yomi returned it with one of her own, "Yes, always at your side."

"Thank you, Yomi." Kagura said, rushing into her sister for a hug.

As the younger girl sobbed gently in her embrace, Yomi felt the warmth she had received from her father when he gave her the same answer years ago offered to her little sister now that she had one to give it to. Yomi made a promise to herself that she would watch over Kagura before and now she'd done just as her father before her. It was a wonderful feeling to have someone in your care, dependent on you but growing stronger each day. She hadn't understood why her father felt the way he did about Yomi's successes and failures, but she felt she could now that Kagura was there.

"Hey Yomi?"

"Yes?"

"So much for Uncle Naraku telling us to have a normal girl's shopping spree, huh?"

"I like the clothes I have already, anyway."

Kagura chuckled, "Well, you'll eventually wear them out."

"When that happens, I could just go out wearing them ripped."

"I think you might attract the wrong kind of evil spirits then, Yomi."

"I think you're right. Well, it's still early. Do you want to, I don't know, go to one of those salon things?" Yomi suggested, "I heard they're supposed to be relaxing."

"Haha, you need to pamper yourself more, Yomi. I went with Yacchi and Mikuru just last week."

To that, Yomi turned away in mock indignation, "My natural beauty makes up for anything they could do to me there!"

"Tell that to your split ends." Kagura giggled.

"Hey, I use conditioner!" Yomi spat back.

Just then, Kagura's phone sounded to show her she'd received a text. Taking out the device, she noted the message was from Yacchi. She and Mikuru were at the local shopping center waiting for her. Yacchi even said she was buying, which obviously meant the Apocalypse was near. Kagura couldn't pass on that opportunity.

"She a friend from school?" Yomi asked.

"Yea, Yacchi. She said she's paying so I should hurry."

"Oh, so you're good friends then?"

"I guess so."

"Did you tell her about what you do then?"

"Sort of half and half."

"That's good enough. You should value your friendships." Yomi suggested, putting her hand on Kagura's arm, "Hurry up then!"

As her sister left, Yomi took a breath as she saw her off. It was something she herself had no luck in, having been home-schooled and being best kept to herself. She wasn't very easygoing when it came to making friends and she shied away from regular people for fear they would reject her as a slayer. It was this that made it important for Kagura to have the friends she did.

A blip on her radar made her turn around to see the lone Kuda-gitsune perched on a nearby post. Nori wanted to see her and had sent her another little messenger. Since there was plenty of day left, she happily followed the little creature, wondering what the boy had in mind.

* * *

Naraku had a ploy in mind when he invited his brother and Mei to the house. He had taken out his will and would announce to both of them that he was resigning early, which, though to be used as a way to draw Mei out, was also honestly what he had been wanting to do since seeing how fit Yomi was to take on the responsibility of leadership. He had no doubt that whether or not he was actually at his end, Yomi would be more than capable of carrying the mantle as head of the Isayama clan. In all respects, she was a much stronger and smarter slayer than he, with a powerful resolve and talents far outmatching any other that he'd seen, possibly only matched by the uncanny lineage of the Tsuchimiya clan itself.

"You wanted to speak with me, Honoured Brother?" Yuu inquired of his elder.

"Yes and actually, it is in regards to the matter of letting Yomi take over." Naraku pointedly stated, "I'm wondering if I should expedite the process."

Yuu was visibly and truthfully concerned, "Honoured Brother, it can't be that-"

"No need for such concern. I'm not dying just yet. However, in keeping with that, there's no predicting what could happen at an age like mine. I figure while I still have the strength left, I should abdicate the title as head of our clan just to be safe." Naraku explained, loud enough for both parties to hear him, his eyes gazing at Mei every now and then.

"I see."

"I want to officially announce my retirement and Yomi's promotion at the next meeting of the families." He continued, his eyes never leaving the girl as he spoke on Yomi's ascension, "Yuu, I want you to prepare the ceremony, understood?"

"Understood." Though Yuu said it with a heavy heart indeed, he accepted his appointed task and turned to his daughter, "Mei, as your Uncle just said, I want you to help me with the preparations."

"Yes." Mei replied, though her eyes told Naraku everything he wanted to know.

She stared into him, underlying hatred, resentment, and fury buried under crimson irises. Though Yuu having rejected the training and enduring none of the hardships of the rest of his slayer bloodline could not see the line being drawn, both Naraku and Mei were just then naming themselves one another's enemies. Naraku saw in Mei a darkness he had never cared enough to realise in the girl, but now that he had, he distasted it. There was no cause for her to feel she had any right to the title when she, herself, had not done anything of mention as a slayer and had only done so in recent times due to unspeakable deeds, completely in conflict with her heritage. If Yuu had only been more attentive to his duties as a member of the Isayama clan, his fathering Mei should have taught the girl some honour and morality so she'd have known better than to poison the world with all these heinous uprisings in malignant spiritual activity.

"Mei, this should be a joyous occasion for you. Was it not your who said my Yomi was a far superior candidate than you? Now that she's fulfilling her purpose as your leader, you must be ecstatic for her." Naraku venomously stated to the girl who had, as yet, not removed her vicious scowl from her visage.

"Yes, Uncle. I am thrilled to see that Yomi will be leading our family now and doing so following your excellent teachings. I am sure she will not let our family's name be tarnished or otherwise ruined by failure." She almost hissed at him, her form holding steady despite the tone of her voice obviously angered beyond bounds.

Unfortunately, her father, Yuu, was still ignorant of this, sighing for both of them as he was more than candid about showing his disapproval of Yomi's ascension. Naraku chose to dismiss them right then, passing an undeniably vivid glare at his niece just as she turned to leave. He wanted her upset. He needed her to be off her normal calm as he was no longer the youthful and powerful slayer he once was. Now, he was an aged and nearly crippled, daft fool who only hoped the leverage of Shishio would be enough for what was to come.

* * *

Mei stormed onto the roof of her house, slamming open the door and slamming it shut. Heaving and burning mad with rage, she stalked up to Mitogawa who had been waiting for her. Casually flicking back a few strands of hair from his face, his eye fell upon the girl and brought a smug grin to his features.

"Trouble in placid waters?" He asked her.

Mei was beyond seething, her hands trembling as if ready to throttle some unfortunate soul within range, "That bastard of an uncle! How dare he look past my accomplishments! How dare he allow that urchin to rise to the top of our family!"

"So I see you haven't gotten your treasured promotion."

"You promised me I'd have what was rightfully mine! I did the unforgiveable because you said I could have justice from it!"

"Yes, and you almost had it, didn't you? Your hatred and resentment, jealous and desire, they nearly gave you what you deserved, but somehow you fell short. What could it be?" Mitogawa mused.

"Yomi… I want you to give me something that can kill her! We're going back to my original plan! Yes, a slayer's life is a difficult one and you never know what can happen in the future. Just because she's heir now does not make her heir forever and I will be next in line afterward." Mei raved, clutching Mitogawa's vest tightly.

Easily shrugging, Mitogawa waved it off with a, "Sure. But right now, that's not the only thing you want, is it? Whatever. I can get you what you want since you'll be getting me what I need. Shall I create a ruckus?"

Calming herself, Mei realised what she had been saying, turning away from the boy to regain composure, "A usual wave, just like before. Send in stronger spirits wherever Yomi is. I don't want her to suffer, just to be out of my way and that of my family's."

Mitogawa's eyes narrowed with malevolent glee, "As you wish."

* * *

As the sun began to set, Yomi found herself at the park in the company of her fiancé, Nori. They had been there since he called for her with his little kitsune messenger. For the most part, they spoke on work, having had every aspect of their lives revolving around it. Yomi's parents had been murdered my malicious spirits before she was adopted into the Isayama family by its head, Isayama Naraku. All through her childhood, she had had to keep with the par of her peers lest she want their ire that she was simply an outsider, a vagrant whose fortune granted her the mercy of an Isayama. And she did strive and she did advance, her struggles going so far as to making her the most formidable slayer in the family. However, that was the only life she'd known. Likewise, Nori was born to the livelihood of a slayer, son of the head of the Izuna family, Izuna Norisada. Even so, both of them were content to have this life bestowed upon them as, without it, they would not have each other. Conversations like these naturally progressed to Yomi's pupil and charge, Tsuchimiya Kagura, particularly in Yomi's case.

"I guess it let's me have a small sense of reassurance." She was saying.

"What does?" Nori asked, not quite sure what she meant considering she'd been switching topics mid-sentence at times during their discussion.

"That Kagura is becoming better."

Nori gave out a light chuckle, "Your head is only occupied with thoughts of Kagura, isn't it?"

"That's because she's just like me."

"Like you?"

"Family killed by evil spirits, adopted into another family to be trained in the art of the slayer, yea, I'd say so." Yomi replied, casting her eyes downward, "I don't want that girl to have a painful history like I do. I'll protect her. I want to protect her always and forever."

To that, Yomi suddenly looked off to the side, her tone of voice also becoming more sad than stern as she had been declaring her role of protection for Kagura, "But it's almost time for that to end."

"Eh?"

"Kagura doesn't seem to need me anymore. She's been able to learn, in an instant, skills that took me years to perfect." Yomi continued, "It's not long before she'll have surpassed me."

"Says a lot about the quality of her training then, doesn't it?"

"No, that's not quite right. It's more about her blood. She's the next generation of the most powerful family of spiritualists, next in the line of the Tsuchimiya clan. In terms of exorcising, few can match up it their prowess. They're just born with a natural affinity for it. Kagura has the capability to advance in things I could never hope for."

"Yomi…"

"Even so, that kid actually feels confused and lost because of her lineage." Yomi mused to herself, finally turning to Nori to say, "How ironic, right?"

Nori didn't want his fiancée feeling this useless, especially since none of her statements accurately described her immense talent, refuting Yomi by saying, "You've already made a big effort for the sake of inheriting the head of the Isayama clan and have if not the best then one of the best sword arts in exorcism. You've grown up to be a considered a prodigy by everyone."

"Even if that's the case, there are still people who don't think I quite make the cut."

"Nobody can honestly criticise who you've become. Just keep following your path."

Yomi felt a blush creep up to her cheeks at his kind words, "Noriyuki."

"Anybody who says different with have to deal with me."

"But the worst is you, Noriyuki." Yomi purred, starting to grow mischievous.

"I guess I'll have to do something to remedy that then." He responded gently, moving closer.

Yomi blushed as Nori approached, but made no move to resist. As their lips inched closer and closer, she felt as though she could be content with her life for once; never mind the family politics or her maturing sibling. It was fine because she had someone when it was all said and done. She had someone to look after her and to care for. These emotions she felt were relayed to Nori through just the look in her eyes. Closer and closer and… ringtone.

"Hello?" Yomi greeted, picking up her phone, "Oh really? Everything going okay?"

It was quite safe to say, Nori was a bit peeved. It was such a perfect moment before and she had to receive a call? Lovely swears bubbling about his mind didn't begin to express his chagrin, but what was a man to do?

* * *

"Yomi? Hey, I'm with Yacchi and Mikuru right now." Kagura spoke into her mobile with a giggle, "Originally, Yacchi said she was buying, but after I lost at cards, she made me buy."

"Oh?" Yomi said on the other end, smiling.

"I wanted to ask if you had any plans for tonight. Yacchi wants us to go to the pool after this."

"That sounds like fun, but you guys go on ahead."

"Okay, but dinner's on you!"

"Really? Well, maybe I'll try to make the last few laps then."

"Yomi will still be making dinner for coming late." Kagura teased.

"Fine fine, but I'm making only what I like and there'll be no co-" Yomi said, her final words seemingly trailed off.

"No problem! After all, I like anything Yomi likes anyway. Later then!" Kagura chirped into her mobile, ending the call after.

"Kagura!" Yacchi greeted, plopping down on Kagura with a hug.

"Ooh, Yacchi, quit it!" Kagura groaned, pushing the other girl off.

"Is everybody ready? We should get going." Mikuru asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, what had cut Yomi off before was Nori, having grown weary of the sisterly bonding during his intimate moment, decided to take matters into his own hands. While she was still in conversation, he stood and walked to her front, planted both hands down on either side of her, and leaned in. The kiss took place mid sentence, but as it happened, the word "complain" coupled with the loud joking manner in which Yomi had tried saying it, had her mouth wide open for attack. Yomi never saw what hit her and struggled valiantly to shake him loose, but to no avail. It finally took taking her mobile to his skull to get him off.

"Ow! Don't hit me with the corner!" Nori complained, rubbing his scalp.

"Do that again and I'll shave you bald next time!" Yomi threatened.

Calming herself, she decided it would be best to turn the phone off. She knew Nori's intentions were good and a man was still just a man. He had needs of his girl and, as a loving, albeit ill-tempered girlfriend, she wanted to try her best to accommodate him.

"Is that okay?" Nori asked of her, knowing the kinds of calls they were prone to getting.

She paused a bit, but nodded, "Yup, after all, it is my day off."

Turning to Nori, she leaned in, this time intentionally. Nori gazed into her eyes and moved in until their lips met, sharing the moment he had wanted with her, together against the setting sun.

* * *

"Why are we here?" Mei asked her company, "This is just a school."

"Well, it isn't just any school, but more on that some other time." Mitogawa replied, "This is where you can start. I'll send you a signal to mark your route each time you're done. That should give you reason enough not to be there for Yomi and there's a double bonus of giving you more reputation. You'll eventually reach Yomi after she's been dealt with."

"Thank you." Mei said uneasily, still wary of the boy and already regretting her earlier outburst.

"Oh, no thanks necessary. We should all get what we deserve, after all."

After Mitogawa departed with his swarm of butterflies, Mei sensed the approach of several Category Cs. It had begun.

* * *

Elsewhere, Naraku had sensed it as well. There was a massive surge in spiritual activity and his body trembled at its evil. Shishio in hand, he set off in the direction of the strongest one. It had begun.

"It has begun." Mitogawa whispered, gleaning with joy as he faded.

* * *

Giggling, Yomi slapped Nori on his chest after the scene that just took place. A few children had been playing catch near where they were sitting and the ball ended up flying towards Nori. Being a trained slayer, he sensed this and caught it easily before it made contact with his head. However, with his fiancée beside him, Nori felt a need to show off and decided to play their game of catch with them for a while, starting off with a few light passes to demonstrate what a caring man he could be. Seeing as Yomi had worked with him for this long, she wasn't concerned with believing him. She already knew he was full of it. Leaning her cheek against her fist, she made a casual yawn, teasing him that she was bored of his ploys. Naturally, this urged the man onward and he decided to really show off.

"Hey kids, let me show you what a real pitch looks like!" Nori exclaimed, backing up.

He stepped back a few steps, winded up his arm, backed up a bit more, focused his energy, backed up some more and made sure to step over the fence he had reached, prepared for the pitch, and slipped on a patch of grass, pitching the ball straight up and back down onto his daft little noggin. The children all burst into wild laughter, grabbing their torsos and collapsing on the ground with big grins cast upon their faces. Yomi, too, had no chance of containing her glee, from her bored position to leaning over the bench she had been sitting at, trying desperately to catch her breath from all her giggling.

And that's where they were, Yomi still trying to calm herself after his brilliant maneuver of daring and dashing manliness and Nori hoping and praying to regain his dignity. Eventually, he would succeed and changed the subject to their future, which Yomi was less than ready to discuss. They settled for being content in one another's arms before the last rays of light, the sun having just about set.

Suddenly, a tremor alerted them to an approaching horde of nasty spirits. Yomi ordered everyone remaining in the park to flee and thought to use Shishio, but remembered she'd left it home as per her father's request. Instead, she turned to Nori who released his Kuda-gitsune, sending them darting all around the park, scanning for any movement. For the longest moment, there was nothing to be seen, only felt. The atmosphere reeked of the creature's foul odor, the air driven warm by the gusts it produced. It was odd that none of the Ga-rei could find it, as even in a starless night sky, they were usually capable. Looking around, Yomi continued to feel the gusts, as if they were showering down on her from above, but what evil spirit was capable of that? None of the wind-based creatures she knew of could create warm gusts of air, which smelled so disgusting, so much like bad breath. Actually, the entire gust, smell and all, felt like someone's breathing.

Looking up, Yomi knew why there were no stars tonight, pointing for Nori to see, "Category B: Okubi!"

Nori turned up to see it, as well, the enormous face blotting out the sky. It was a creature of bad omens, a large face of a hideous woman, eyes blazing. Lurching forward with its great tongue, it pierced into the grounds of the park, licking apart the asphalt that encircled the fountain at the center. The air was turned noxious by its breath and Nori called on his Ga-rei to wrap themselves around their faces, one for Yomi, one for himself. The properties of the creature's fur allowed it to purify jyaki, or otherwise filter the air for the two slayers. Yomi quickly sped in, taking advantage of the creatures exposed tongue and cast a Houjutsu spell to sever it. With an angry wail, the Okubi loosed its hair, which fell in great pools down at the ground. As the strikes created tremors, Yomi's close proximity unsteadied her, rendering her unable to dodge. Nori had to dive in to take her out of the crash point of another bundle.

"Thank you, Noriyuki." Yomi said while they were both on the floor.

"Be careful, Yomi. This Okubi's stronger than normal."

Nodding, Yomi stood back up, readying Shishio, "What could this mean?"

From the bundles of hair, the Category C, Kama-kiri began to pool out. One of them managed to climb onto Nori, snipping away a lock of his hair before Yomi exorcised it with an ofuda. Together, they began taking down each of the annoying bear/crow beasts, all the while dodging the advances of the Okubi.

* * *

"Where are you going, Tsuchimiya?" Yacchi asked, chasing after her on her way to the showers.

"Well, thanks to you, my bandage is soaked so I need to get to the nurse's office for new ones before she leaves." Kagura replied, skipping off.

Walking to the office, she knocked and excused her intrusion, noting that the nurse had been filling out some paperwork. She had come before, each time some fool's errand of Yacchi's had forced her to get new bandages. Again, the nurse scolded her about her carelessness with her injury and again, Kagura apologised for it. The nurse would then remind her that she was a girl and a scar resulting from a wound like hers would be unbecoming, something for which Kagura nervously apologised again, having explained several times before that she had received the injury via accidentally and carelessly scraping her leg against a jagged wall and not that she had gotten it from a spinning umbrella of death with a penchant for mayhem. When the bandage was done, Kagura thanked the nurse, excusing herself again when she felt a presence on the roof and outside, all around the school actually. Excusing herself haphazardly a third time, she darted out the door and sped up the stairs to the roof.

"Category C: Bakezori!" She proclaimed, unleashing Michael 12 upon her foe.

Meanwhile, Yacchi had returned to the pool after Kagura left, spending a few more laps trying to whittle down her time by that one pesky second. All the while, the day wasn't getting any longer and as night fell upon the school, Mikuru began complaining about the girl.

"Geez, Yacchi, it's already a complete blanket of black out there." She whined as the girl drifted casually to meet her by the showers.

"I know I can get that second down with just another minute of practice." The other girl noted.

"Just for that one second, I don't think you need to be so diligent about."

"Ow, bleeding."

In surprise, Mikuru quickly turned off the water, coming to her friend's aid. Grunting in pain, Yacchi noted some idiot had dropped a hairpin on the floor. The sharp metal edge of it had caught her softened skin and cut her, which wasn't being helped by all the chlorinated water about them. Quickly, Mikuru helped her get back to the locker area, where she cleaned the wound as best she could using only a paper towel and some hand soap, then wrapping it up with a little toilet paper, padded by another sheet of paper towel. Naturally, that wasn't a very permanent solution, but as Yacchi would note, did offer them an excuse for other fun.

"Let's go ambush Kagura at the nurse's office." She suggested.

"Shouldn't she be back yet?"

"Her loss." Yacchi replied, grinning mischievously as the two continued walking down through the corridors toward the nurse's office.

"It's already so late; shouldn't the nurse have gone home by now?"

To that, Yacchi grew curious, but her playful demeanor couldn't help itself, "Don't you ever feel that the school's different at night? A little scarier?"

"Stop that." Mikuru whined, covering her eyes.

"It reminds me of those stories about an old student at this school who killed himself and came back as a ghost without a head." Yacchi joked.

"Stop it." Mikuru whined again, shaking her head a little as they both laughed.

Just then, a body came flying toward them, plopping itself dead on the floor in front of them. A woman, blood trickling down her face and wielding an iron bar began approaching, the white lab coat she wore stained in the blood of her victim.

Both girls screamed and made a run for it, turning the corner and hiding in a nearby classroom's closet. Mikuru covered Yacchi's mouth and hugged her close to stop both of their shivering, but the slow tapping of the woman's heels drawing nearer made that impossible to stop. As she entered the same classroom, she drifted right past them, then again after she had inspected the room. Lured into a false sense of security, Mikuru made a move to leave just as the closet came under attack. Using the iron bar, the assailant bombarded the steel closet with blow after blow, crushing it with her uncanny strength. Eventually, the distortions and misshaping of the closet jarred the door loose.

"NO!" Both girls screamed, preparing for the worst.

However, just as the assailant's hand reached to grab them, it was severed by someone's blade. Turning awkwardly, she moved enough for the girls to see it was Kagura, armed with what looked like a katana.

Kagura's Michael 12 made quick work of the attacker's arm, but upon closer inspection, she saw that she had just cut off the arm of the school nurse whom she was just speaking with only minutes before. Having felt malevolent spirits around the school, she had gone to the roof to exorcise them, only finding a few stragglers, namely the Bakezori from before. She must have missed one back downstairs, which had found the nurse and…

"No…" Kagura gasped, holding her blade unsteadily against the nurse who was already nothing more than one of her dreaded Category Ds, "Stop. Don't come any closer. Please. I beg of you. Stay back!"

Awkwardly, almost drunkenly, the nurse stumbled toward her, her appearance different to the slayer's gifted eyes. She could already see the Akureika embedded in her skull, forcing her cold limbs into

motion. Backing away towards the door, with her friends still too terrified to leave the closet, she found herself with very little options.

Kagura began repeating to herself, "As slayers, it is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world. It is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world. It is our job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world."

Still, the nurse wasn't relenting and continued her slow and drawn-out approach. Inch by inch, she drew closer and inch by inch, Kagura knew there had to be resolution.

* * *

Yomi's Houjutsu made quick work of the remaining Kama-kiri, though some had still managed successful snips of their hair. They were minor losses, nothing a good stylist couldn't fix, but that didn't stop her from exorcising them with extreme prejudice. In the meantime, Nori had purified both the Okubi's breath and hair with continuous bombardments by his Kuda-gitsune, forcing the enormous creature into retreat back further into the sky. That is, until Yomi's ofuda trap sealed it in position for Nori's final attack. Summoning all his kitsune together, he loosed them straight up into the creature in one final surge of spiritual power, obliterating the creature completely.

Exhausted, Yomi fell to her knees with a gasp. Nori immediately rushed to her side, offering a hand to help her up. Looking around, it seemed the danger had past, but it was a very confusing incident indeed.

"Yomi, are you alright?" Nori asked.

"I'll be fine, but what was that?" Yomi replied, "Why weren't we warned?"

Just then, Nori's phone sounded. Kiri was on the other end, telling them about a massive wave of signals all across the board. The notable one had been in her area, but there were collects of others, most of which were being handled by Mei, but one in particular…

"And there's the school, but we believe Kagura is at that location." Kiri finished saying.

"Kagura!" Yomi's eyes went wide, rushing off toward the school without a second thought.

* * *

As per Mitogawa's direction, Mei followed each of the clusters of spiritual activity and cleared the area of whatever was there, helped along the way by Mitogawa's mystical assistance. Eventually, this brought her to an empty and abandoned warehouse, one of the locations en route back towards the park where Yomi's body would hopefully be. Entering the darkened structure, Mei found she could not sense anything, not even the faintest trace of miasma. For a moment, she feared the worst, knowing full well that if Mitogawa had failed and Yomi did best her target, she could have easily received reports of these other anomalies and come to investigate, thereby defeating the entire exercise, as well as, possibly figuring out the truth behind it all. In Mei's mind, the only one powerful enough to stop Yomi would probably have been Mitogawa himself, which the boy could have been foolish enough to do. If Yomi somehow overcame him, she could've used her vast knowledge of Houjutsu to bind him and torture him for information regarding the recent abundance of malicious spirits. With hardly any sense of loyalty, so far as Mei perceived, it would have been a simple task of name-dropping her and sending the entire Ministry of the Environment against her and her father, exiling them from the Isayama clan at best, outright executing them should they see fit to be cruel.

As she continued to walk, she grew more and more anxious, looking about herself every so often to see if Yomi was mounting an ambush. Already, she was regretting she callousness and cursing her tactless frustration that led to such a plot. It would not go well for her; it couldn't. In the distance, she

began to see a faint glow, a sort of blueish-hue, too dim to be an actual light, but luminous enough that she knew it couldn't have been of ordinary manufacture. From the corners of the warehouse, she sensed a distinct yet faint laughter, echoing chuckles of psychotic glee at her present predicament and reeling from the doubt it sensed in her mind. Mei took a few more steps forward and it became clear what the glow came from.

"Shishio…" Mei gasped, arming herself with her halberd.

"Mei, what have you done?" Her uncle, the head of the Isayama clan, Naraku asked of her.

"I didn't mean for this, Uncle Naraku! Honestly! I-"

"Enough. You've poisoned this world with malice and discord." Naraku stated in a stern tone, "You are no better than the beings you slay and, as a slayer, it is my job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world."

Readying Shishio, he lunged for his niece and struck. Mei managed to block the aging man's attack quite easily, his slacking skills making it difficult for him to maneuver with the ease of the young slayer he faced. After a few trades, his weak leg gave way and he collapsed of his own accord, rolling away to safer ground. Heaving and trying to regain his focus, Naraku knew he was no match for Mei in his present state. With a heavy heart, he called forth the Ga-rei, Ranguren, from his sword, evoking its Houkoha upon his niece. With wide eyes, Mei knew she was dead. The attack had come too suddenly and at far too close a range for her to dodge in time. Shutting her eyes tightly, tears of fear and regret freeing themselves from them, she screamed at her impending death. This, only to be averted by a swarm of butterflies, disintegrated after absorbing the attack for her. As Mei opened her eyes once more, trembling in terror, she came face to face with Mitogawa, his eyes blazing madly at her before turning to the elderly slayer.

"Not a very benevolent uncle, are you? So much wrath for a man to unleash upon his only niece. Tsk tsk, you are too much." He mused.

Grabbing some of Nue's fur, Naraku pulled himself back to him feet, holding his ground even against two opponents. Breathing heavily with fatigue, his heart pounding in his chest, and knowing his spiritual energy alone would only take him so far, Naraku braced himself to accomplish the impossible, and struck. Mitogawa summoned his centipedes to his aid, the larger counterparts of the insect crawling in to ensnare the slayer, but to no avail. Despite his age and regardless of his waning stamina, Naraku was still a veteran slayer, one who knew just how to wield the Shishio effectively. Slicing down the length of the insects rather than their width, he destroyed every segment, preventing Mitogawa from reanimating the broken pieces to further the attack. Following this up, he called on Ranguren to fire another Houkoha at the boy, while he himself suddenly shifted direction and went back after Mei. Surprised again and caught off guard, Mei could only block with the staff portion of her weapon, leaving her in a compromised position and vulnerable to Naraku's parry. Tripping after having her weapon forced down, Mei could only look up as Shishio bore down on her. Suddenly, more butterflies coated the sword and its wielder, swirling about him while Mei was allowed the chance to regain her footing.

In the meantime, Mitogawa had vanished, confusing Ranguren with unending appearances of hornets and mosquitoes, the Ga-rei forced to using its claws without its master's authorisation to use its Houkoha. With the beast effectively neutralised, Mei was free to concentrate on her uncle, who had focused his spiritual energies to locate Mei despite being blinded by the butterflies. This further drained him and each succeeding strike became sloppier and, coupled with the butterflies now landing on the blade itself, made him prone to counterattack. Confused, frightened, and overwhelmed, Mei began recklessly deflecting her uncle's moves, not realising in her panicked state, just how little he had left in him. With one final parry, Naraku stumbling forward towards Mei, she drew back in fear and stuck her halberd forward, catching him in the neck with the blade.

Horrified, she felt tears streaming down her face as she could only look on, her uncle falling limp upon her weapon, the sharp edge of it slicing through his flesh, decapitating him. As the body lay there, pooling crimson ponds around itself, Mei discovered far too late what her actions had done. And now there was no going back.

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-:**

**呵責連鎖****－****かしゃくのれんさ****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 07**

**Translations: **

罪螺旋 － つみのらせん －

Spiral of Crime

kami – God/The gods

~nyan – This is not a proper title and was said only because Yomi's Yomi. =p It's the Japanese for meow.

Ushi-oni – Ox ogre

Futabi – The Two-Tail

Hitobi – The One-Tail

Yamabiko – Spirit of the Mountain

Sazae-oni – Turban Snail Ogre

Shinryu – Divine Dragon

Kameosa – Long Bottle

Ningen no Shiryo – Deceased Human Souls

mokuto – Wooden training sword

ganbare – Expression: Go for it!

Kitsune – Fox/Fox Spirit

Okubi – Giant Head

Houjutsu – Spiritual magic wielded by slayers

Kama-kiri – Hair-cutter

ofuda – Buddhist scriptures that are believed to ward off spirits

Bake-zori – Living Scandal

Akureika – Evil Spirits

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-:****呵責連鎖****－** **かしゃくのれんさ****－**

_Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: Kashaku no Rensa_

Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Chain of Blame


	4. 呵責連鎖

**喰霊－ 零－**

Will you kill someone you love, because of love?

この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!

_Disclaimer:_ Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!

_A/N:_ Last chapter mixed in some of the scenes in the following episodes 6 and 7. However, I thought a lot about the mythos in Ga-Rei and how it retold some of the legends of the classic demons in Japanese folklore. That's why I added the Okubi and Kama-kiri, more so than I cared about naming the others. If you look them up online, the Okubi is a demon that brings with it foreshadowing of a great disaster. I coupled it with the Kama-kiri for that literary purpose and as an additional element to the Okubi's legend, since the disasters its appearance warns about are usually nature disasters. The Kama-kiri is a bear/crow-ish creature that cuts the hair of those who are about to wed with a monster. I'm sure you can figure out why I included them now, but just in case you didn't:

The Okubi in my last chapter was stronger than usual and had, infesting it, a horde of Kama-kiri. Its arrival is an omen of an impending disaster, which in this case would be Yomi's turn to darkness. The Kama-kiri in that chapter cut Noriyuki's hair because Noriyuki is Yomi's betrothed and Yomi is going to become a spectre. In other words, Noriyuki is entering a marriage with a monster.

Now, for my reviewers:

Ominae, they'll have a mission soon. They're going to be up against something I found amusing to write about so hopefully, you will, too! Also, someone else will be showing up then, as well.

MaesLawliet, I hope this was soon enough. ^_^;; Mei plays out her role much differently in this chapter than she does in the anime so I hope you like it.

A note to depression76, this following chapter diverges heavily from the actual anime, but it should prove to be just as or hopefully more intense than the original. I also hope that reading the events as they occur in my fiction will motivate you to watch the original as I wouldn't have considered writing this variation had it not been for my love of the series.

So, beheaded. Haha, didn't see that one coming, did you? Did you see this?

**呵責連鎖****－****かしゃくのれんさ****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 07**

"Don't come any closer!" Kagura screamed at the nurse, having been backed up into the door of the broken closet where her friends still hid.

Inch by inch, the woman drew near and with every step, Kagura's hold on her Michael 12 weakened. Eventually, she was resigned to her fate, dropping the blade completely and falling to the floor to wait for the end. She only hoped the nurse would be satisfied killing her and spare her friends, but she knew that could not be.

"Kagura, duck and cover!" Yomi's familiar voice called out behind her.

On pure instinct, she did as she was instructed by her sister, rolling to her left to clear the entrance of her classroom for Yomi to flip in, grab Michael 12, catch her footing, and leap straight for the nurse, slicing her head off cleanly. Blood splattered anything and everything nearby, including Yomi herself. As she stood and turned, she saw only the mortified faces of the two girls who should've been Kagura's classmates and Kagura herself, still on the floor following the roll, equally frozen in shock.

"Kagura, are you alright?" She asked, but she would not receive an answer.

* * *

"Ministry of the Environment?" Yacchi asked Kazuki later on, once the rest of the team had arrived to clear the scene.

"Yea, Ministry of the Environment Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division." Kazuki repeated, "To put it simply, we take care of those evil spirits wandering about the country."

This explanation was met with curious, but mostly disdainful faces by both Mikuru and Yacchi. Kagura was despondent, sitting by herself on the side, an expression on her face almost as if saying she was still reliving the entire episode. Yomi had tried to consoling the girl, but she was unusually unresponsive. Nori had explained that it was probably traumatising for her to have seen her most favourite person in the world kill someone she knew so calmly and without any hesitation. Of course, given Yomi's very stubborn attitude, she was only angered by that comment, retorting that she was saving Kagura's life as well as her friends. It wasn't like she wanted to kill anybody. She was just doing her duty as a slayer. With a sigh, Nori gave up trying to reason with her, taking instead to staying beside Kagura while Yomi went to speak to the other two.

"I'm glad you two are alright. Kagura would've been upset to lose you. Still, it is important for you to learn from this. These creatures don't back down and they won't stop looking for you." Yomi began telling them, "The best thing to do if you see a murderer, even if it's a normal one, is not to hide, but run. Try to get to safety as fast as you can, and if you can't, try to find help. Don't think that you can just hide in a closet and they'll leave you alone. More often than not, th-"

"What the heck do you want?" Yacchi screamed.

"Yacchi…" Mikuru muttered, worried about the girl's outburst.

"We all loved her! What do you want?" Yacchi screamed again, tears streaming down her face.

Yomi tried to go over and comfort the girl, but as her clothes were still stained in the woman's blood, both Mikuru and Yacchi were only more frightened, prompting Kagura to push past her sister, as well, and comfort them herself. Looking at her sleeve and tracing it to herself, she saw the blood and realised the best thing for her to do then was leave them alone. She took to finding Nori again, heartbroken as to how Kagura was reacting to what she did. As she left, Kagura looked back over, but she was visibly shaken and couldn't bring herself to go to her sister.

* * *

Later at the ministry, the chief and Kiri discussed what was in the best interest of both girls, seeing as how Kagura had never been comfortable with the Category Ds. The chief decided to suspend Kagura for a while, allow her to regain her composure. Kiri suggested that they suspend Yomi, as well, as the older slayer had been the closest person to Kagura and, despite recent circumstances, was still the best person to help Kagura through her pain. Meanwhile, outside the office, Yomi had been trying unsuccessfully at getting her sister to respond.

"She was long gone by then, Kagura. There was nothing else to do for her." She told the tearful girl.

"But you killed her." Kagura mumbled between sobs.

"Kagura, she was already dead and possessed by the Akureika. The only thing left to do was exorcise it before it could hurt anymore people."

"But you killed her."

Yomi couldn't understand the fear and grief her sister suffered. It just wasn't in her nature to remember the victims left by all the spirit attacks. It just became a routine for her, her role as a slayer to slay malicious creatures. The humans caught in the crossfire were just part of the clean-up later, not part of her job and therefore none of her concern. Kagura, on the other hand, had become attached to her normal life as a student at the school. Unlike Yomi, she was a classmate, a schoolgirl, as much as she was a slayer and the victims of any of the things she had to face were precious to her. They were alive, they had families and friends that would miss them now that they were gone. How could she bring herself to be their murderer?

Yomi saw that the professional air wasn't going to work on the girl, Kagura having known the victim. It was just like this before, with the suicidal woman from the Tsuchigumo incident. Kagura couldn't bring herself to defend either of them against the woman, no matter how close to death that brought both of them. It was her greatest weakness and needed to be remedied, but she needed to understand that on her own terms. One day, she would need to stop someone she didn't want to, but Yomi felt confident that Kagura would grow stronger and exorcise that person, no matter what.

For the moment, a subject change was needed, "Hey, are you hungry? Maybe I'll cook tonight. What do you want to eat?"

Kagura slowly looked up at her sister, nodding a little before trying to say something, but struggling to get the words out.

"How about cream croquette? I know you like it and I'll use all fresh ingredients." Yomi said in as cheery a voice as she could muster.

Nodding silently, Kagura sniffled and blinked away her tears, putting on an awkward smile and trying to move past the previous nightmare. It was Yomi, after all. How could she be upset with her? Besides, she was right and Kagura knew that much. In the end, the nurse had been turned into a Category D and there was nothing left to do but exorcise the creature possessing her dead body. It had been Kagura's own fault. She felt the signal and saw the Bakezori on the roof. Did she not think to stay by the nurse to make sure nothing got into her office? She was careless and the nurse paid for it in the end. She wasn't about to let Yomi become scapegoat for that, even if it was terrifying to watch her sister speed toward her and behead her without a thought.

"You know what? The chief just worries that you're still upset over it, but I think going home would be better for you and since those guys look busy, let's not bother them. C'mon, let's get you home." Yomi said cheerfully.

As they left, the chief's office received the report. A body had been found at a warehouse and was identified to be Isayama Naraku, head of the Isayama clan. Immediately, Kiri rushed outside to tell Yomi only to find both she and Kagura were gone.

* * *

The walk home started quite droll, Kagura using every fiber of her being just to hold her half-hearted smile in place. Meanwhile, Yomi kept trying her usual stunts, her voice getting louder with every attempt as if volume would get through to the girl. However, it did provide Yomi with some comfort to hear something besides complete silence, even if hearing her own voice booming out toward the evening sky wasn't all that terrific.

"Do you think I should making some pudding, too, maybe for dessert? It could be yummy, nyan." Yomi shouted, her meowing making her loud outbursts seem extremely juvenile.

Finally getting herself together and seeing just what her sister was going through on her behalf, Kagura swallowed her fears and doubts, opting to bury them from herself despite how much they wanted to return to the surface.

"Yea! I want vanilla!" She chirped, raising one hand to the air.

Smiling with a tear freeing itself from her happy eyes, Yomi nodded and said, "Sure, I'm in a vanilla mood, too."

For the rest of the way, the two would joke like always, Kagura even mustering up the energy to tease Yomi about her relationship with Nori, particularly about the intimacies regarding it. Of course, with all this from her loved one, Yomi didn't even mind the embarrassments she felt at the subject. She was just thrilled to have Kagura back to normal, honestly back or faking it while pushing the truth back. Yomi knew they could always have the heart-to-hearts or the midnight ice cream sessions later. At present, she only wanted her little sister happy again, an innocent girl like she should've been had it not been for this recent rise in spiritual activity.

As they entered the house, Yomi called out for her father only to find that it was empty. It was unusual for Naraku to be out as his old age had weathered him, forcing him to walk with a cane. It would have been an inconvenience for him to leave the house, which he always noted as an excuse for Yomi's earlier requests to spend time together as a little girl. Going up to her room to freshen up before heading back downstairs to start dinner, she found that her treasured Shishio was missing from the room. It was said that the sword helped a person's spiritual energies, offering a small boost to the slayer's personal attributes. Could her father have taken Shishio in response to the last incident? He had sternly wanted her to spend the day as a normal girl, specifically away from slaying evil spirits. However, in his current state of health and with how much she knew him, he would never have gone to fight. He had long ago accepted Yomi as a very worthy slayer and trusted her in any dangerous situation to pull out fine. Shaking her head at her silliness, she dried her hands on a towel and went downstairs.

"Yomi, where is Uncle Naraku?" Kagura asked her, having taken out the ingredients needed for the cream croquette.

"He must be out." Yomi answered her, just then recounting her conversation with her father from earlier in the day.

He had been worried. He worried about Mei and the rise in anomalies that were producing creatures stronger than normal. Nori had mentioned it, too, that the Okubi they just faced together was

much more powerful than the typical variety. Also, no Okubi she had known appeared in tangent with the Kama-kiri. Her father had been worried about this, about Mei, and also worried about Yomi herself getting involved in the situation. Naraku trusted Yomi with her duties as a slayer. He trusted her to carry on his legacy, for sure, even she knew it despite him never mentioning it outright. However, if he was that distraught over the recent events, would he? Shishio was missing from her room and her father was out. Her Shishio that never left her side and couldn't have disappeared on her own coupled with her father, who never liked leaving the house of his own accord, leaving without any notice on the same night didn't ease Yomi's worry.

"Yomi?" Kagura asked, walking over to her sister.

Casting her eyes to her pocket, Yomi pulled out her mobile to find it had been turned off. That was right, she had turned it off to save her and Nori from any further interruptions. When the Okubi attacked, she and Nori defeated it and it was Nori that received the report of more signals, one in particular being at the school Kagura and her friends went to swim. She hadn't gotten the report herself, but she was only thinking about Kagura and after all that had happened to the girl, the last thing on Yomi's mind was her phone. Quickly turning it on, she waited for it to load and, as she had feared, she found numerous missed calls coupled with at least a dozen sms. Looking at Kagura with concern blatant in her eyes, she checked her inbox to find almost all the messages had been left by her cousin, Mei.

*From: Isayama Mei

Sent: Today 8:03PM

Yomi, come to the hospital, quick!*

*From: Isayama Mei

Sent: Today 8:10PM

Yomi, where are you?*

*From: Isayama Mei

Sent: Today 8:34PM

Yomi… I'm sorry.*

*From: Isayama Mei

Sent: Today 8:37PM

Please, Yomi, where are you? Come to the hospital.*

*From: Isayama Mei

Sent: Today 9:01PM

Yomi…

Uncle Naraku…*

Each succeeding message read about the same. Mei's panicked and anxious words were enough to tell Yomi something was very wrong. Her cousin was never nervous about anything and held a stoic poise no matter the circumstance. What could have caused her to leave those messages was obviously very troubling and should've met with Yomi's undivided and immediate attention, but her phone was off. Taking several deep breaths, Yomi scrolled to one of the only messages in her inbox not sent by her cousin. It was a voicemail from the ministry.

"Yomi, if you get this message, we have very grievous news to tell you. Please call us." Kiri said on the message as it played, "Message received at nine forty-eight PM."

It was just after she had gotten Kagura out of the ministry, which was now over an hour ago. Quickly, she called back and tried to get in touch with anyone at the office, but to no avail. They must have rushed off to whatever they needed her to call them about. Turning to Kagura with very worried eyes, Kagura nodded and they both went for the door.

* * *

The trip to the hospital took only a few minutes on Yomi's scooter, but both of them already knew they were too late. It was over an hour since the reports and Mei had already stopped sending messages. She had Kagura send one back to tell her they were on their way and the following "please hurry" was the last they were in contact.

As soon as they entered the hospital, they headed straight for the Emergency Room where one of Mei's messages said they'd be. The first of the rooms behind the information counter saw a crowd, the most notable ones being that of her uncle, Yuu, and her sullen cousin.

"Uncle!" She cried out, rushing with Kagura to them, "What happened?"

"Yomi, where have you been at a time like this?" Yuu growled, his eyes piercing into his niece, "We couldn't even get a hold of you! We've been trying for a long time now."

"Father." Mei tried to say, putting her hand on the man's shoulder.

Shrugging it off, he stormed right to Yomi, the rage in his eyes uncanny, "What kind of a daughter are you to abandon my Honoured Brother at a time like this!"

Mei ran to her father, holding him back from getting any closer to her cousin, tears pooling from her eyes as she cried, "Stop! We don't need this right now!

"Mei…" Yuu grumbled, frowning at his daughter before turning his back on both of them.

Mei, taking several deep breaths before facing Yomi, struggled with the words she wanted to say, about what had happened to Isayama Naraku, but eventually only managed to feign her usual stoic guise, pointing at the room behind her and requesting that she say her goodbyes to her father.

Yomi's eyes grew wide at her statement, hearing them repeat inside her head over and over, echoing through the halls and corridors of the hospital, resounding from the corners of the dark room, looming over her as she peered down at the body lying in the bed, and rang out with the loudest and most sickening din as she removed the cloth from the person's face.

"Yomi, please bid your farewells to your father. Isayama Naraku has passed."

There, on the bed with a pale and sunken face lay the barely attached head of her father, the stitches from his neck so evident now that his skin had begun to shrivel that they might as well have been a beacon pointing out just how savagely he had been taken. His neck was cut cleanly through; even the spinal cord had no frays, just a clean tear. Yomi felt sick. She crumbled to the floor in shock and disbelief. She didn't want to admit what she just saw, but the body was still there in front of her, the dark red wounds glaring at her sadistically. He was gone. Her father was gone.

* * *

At the funeral, even with all the other families and every Isayama in attendance, consoling her, Yomi could only cry over her dead father's body, never forgetting how she had found him even as his body had been mended and made to appear as before, as though Isayama Naraku had not been decapitated and was merely sleeping, having developed a slight wrinkle in his neck due to age and nothing more. Nothing was going to change the fact that under that wrinkle were a great many stitches, the only thing keeping the

man's head from falling off his shoulders. Nothing was going to change the fact that the man who had cared for her her whole life, the one that sheltered her after the storm that destroyed her former life, and the one that gave her purpose in building a new one was dead.

"Father took me in, a homeless and wandering street rat and was kind enough to raise me up." Yomi uttered with Kagura sitting just opposite her, "He was always so kind and righteous. For me, he will always be the best father. I didn't even get a chance to repay him. I have nothing to give back to him for all he's given me."

Kagura didn't respond, on the one hand knowing that nothing she could say would be of help to her big sister at that moment and on the other that she herself couldn't muster up the strength of mind needed to say anything anyway. She was still broken over the nurse and all the other difficulties of the like that she faced as a slayer. She had just pushed it all back for Yomi's sake, because Yomi was trying to help her, but now Yomi was broken, too. Kagura just didn't know anymore.

"Yomi… May I intrude?" Mei muttered lowly, her head lowered as she entered the room.

Yomi wouldn't respond and Kagura wouldn't substitute for her, either. Mei took it as a sign, but she had been sent by her father and had no choice but to get her attention. It was shattering her heart that she was responsible for all of this, for causing Yomi the pain she was in. All she had wanted was to be considered for what she felt was her rightful place in the family as the only true bloodline descendent to the Isayama name that had been doing her duty as a slayer. That was all she had wanted out of her uncle, but all the circumstances that followed her simple plan had caused so much damage. She realised now, only too late, that it wasn't worth the cost. However, regardless of how much she knew she regretted her decisions, she still had the desire to become the heir to her family's leading position. It was her birthright, not Yomi's and it was cruel of her uncle to have gone so far as to push her away in favour of an outsider. In the end, there was probably nothing that could have been done to change what happened. She would just have to help her cousin in its aftermath. That was all that could be done.

"Yomi, I'm really sorry to bother you with this now, but the heads of the other families have arrived. Please come downstairs and meet them." Mei mumbled, kneeling down beside Yomi and offering a look of great sympathy.

"Okay." Yomi replied softly, her voice exuding as if she had no life left in her.

* * *

"Today, at your most inconvenient hour, I must call you all together under very grave circumstances and I am deeply apologetic for doing so. I believe you are all aware of it by now that my Honoured Brother, Naraku, has been murdered by malevolent spirits." Yuu announced before the procession, "Even though the details of this have as yet not been discovered, it must have been the work of a very powerful spirit to have been able to defeat such a well-trained and highly-talented slayer as Naraku was. I request that you all take heed and keep your guards up."

To this, the procession nodded their full understanding and compliance. Whatever the being was who had murdered him, it must have had superb capabilities to have bested the head of the Isayama clan. Even in his old age, Isayama Naraku was a formidable warrior in his own right. He had been found with the family's treasured legendary blade, Shishio, but he would have been a force to be reckoned with despite having its power. To have been brutalised as he was, the foe must have been one of the strongest they could encounter and for that, they needed to be careful.

"Also, in spite of how unsuitable these times are, it is quite difficult to warrant these chances and so I would like to inform everyone of another matter: According to the head of the Isayama family, Naraku's last will and testament, I, Yuu, will take the role of active leadership. Obviously, I alone cannot possibly handle the dealings of this family; therefore, my daughter, Mei, will take the true responsibilities

of leadership. However, as she does not have much experience in the role, I ask that you all aid her in any way possible."

To this, both Mei and Yomi were taken aback, Mei even gasping at her father's obvious lies to the other heads. Even though this was exactly what she had wanted, she knew she didn't want it like this. She didn't want to live a lie and knew she didn't deserve it at the moment, being the cause of her premature promotion. Mei had resolved not to consider the title until after she'd repented and made reparations for her actions, brought respect and dignity back to her name even if only she knew that it had been tarnished.

Yomi was lost to her thoughts. Most of her was still in remission, grieving and trapped in that grief, incapable of taking a stand for anything at the moment. However, the part of her that was strong and righteous, the part that was nurtured by her father, stood defiant of any injustice even if her heart couldn't back her up. Coming to a stand, she questioned her uncle about his words, about the validity of his ascension and that of her father's last will. She had always known her father's intention to make her take the lead after his departure. It was no secret she was favoured so her uncle's words had to have been a lie, but how could he?

"Your taking the position as head, is that really true?" Yomi asked.

"Yes," Yuu blatantly lied, his face scornful, "this was exactly how my Honoured Brother's last will and testament read."

"The will…" Yomi muttered, thinking of a way to divulge the truth, "How could this be? You opened his last will and testament without me, his own daughter, present? And his funeral procession was just a while ago! Does the position as head mean so much to you? What do you take my father's death for?"

"Silence!" Yuu roared furiously, "Who let the situation become so dire then, Yomi? Who was the one that entered this distinct slayers' family and then decided to be irresponsible in her duties? And who is the one that allowed my Honoured Brother to be murdered and let his killer escape? Honoured Brother endured hardships and bore his scars from battle then stayed to take on the heavy burden of leadership for the sake of this family; is it too much to ask that you protect him? If the leadership position of our family is left vacant, there will be much more injury and death with our line of work. Do you not realise how much thought I put into making this decision?"

Taking a breath, he then added, "Yomi, I've heard that when my Honoured Brother was being attacked by those evil spirits, you were out fooling around with some man."

"Father, that's enough!" Mei yelled, standing in front of Yomi to shield her from those wretched words.

During this time, Yomi had shrunk down, knowing her mistakes and having to accept the consequences. However, Mei knew the truth and knew that even with whatever Yomi might have done, the guilty party lay with her. Her halberd was the weapon that murdered the head of the Isayama clan, herself being the "evil spirits" her father had kept focusing on. Both Yuu and Yomi were unaware of this, though, and this allowed Yuu to vent all his frustrations about her freely, without needing to fear the wrath of his Honoured Brother.

"No matter how strong you've become or how much of a name you've made for yourself, don't feel you're so special. You couldn't even save the one person who cared and fostered you. What kind of a prodigy are you really? You have nothing to show for all of Honoured Brother's hopes and expectations. In the end, his faith in you is what caused him his life."

"Father!"

Mei went to Yomi's side, cradling her in her embrace to try and mitigate the damage done by Yuu's tactless words. However, Yomi was broken already from the death and had already been blaming

herself. Regardless of the validities of Yuu's claims, Yomi wholeheartedly believed him and accepted how useless she was. As Mei continued to coo her while trying her best to calm her father, Yuu remained stern and Yomi remained utterly defeated.

* * *

Yomi found herself back in her room following the meeting, being taken there early by Mei so she didn't need to hold her poise for appearances anymore. She needed her rest after the ordeal and agreed with Mei that the best thing for her was to sit the remainder of the meeting out up in her room and try to take in all that had happened. It would take a lot for her to heal from this, but for the moment, given some time to herself, perhaps she could bury it until there was a more suitable span for her to work through it.

The first thing she thought to do was take out her phone and look up Noriyuki's number. She played with the idea of calling him and having him swoop in and save her from this nightmare, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. In the end, she couldn't even bring herself to make the call just to have someone to talk to, a few tears dripping onto the Picture ID as she kept looking at her chance for escape slipping away.

It was an odd scene for Mei to witness as she spied on her cousin, peering from behind the door. Yomi, despite how miserable and filthy she had been the first day she was brought before the Isayama residence, always showed poise and strength. Back then, it had been in an act of defiance and silent oath of vengeance for her slain family. She stood tall and strong ever since in memory of that promise and additionally for her new promise to the Isayama family. To see her wallowing in grief, indecisive, vulnerable, despicable, it wasn't an easy sight to behold. Knowing that she had created this Yomi made it sting in Mei's heart even further. No, she didn't like her cousin. She had been the thing that stole her rightful role as heir, but that didn't justify what she had done, not on behalf of justice or the vow of the slayer. Unfortunately, Mei wasn't there just to play wall-fly to her peer. The meeting had concluded and her father had other instructions for his new heir. Callousness was the goal and Yuu spared no expense at reaping it, _rewarding_ Mei with the task of delivering those next hopefully painful blows.

"Yomi…" She muttered barely at audible levels.

"Mei?" Yomi looked up, immediately wiping the stray tears from her face to keep up appearances.

Mei cringed at the sight, but knew she had no choice but to continue, "Father had a few more requests."

"Requests?"

"I'm sorry. As you know, Father wants to make this the new base of operations. It would be best if I were able to live here."

"Uncle wants to move in here?"

Quickly following her words as a pointless ploy to mitigate how hard she thought Yomi would be taking the news, Mei added, "I told him that taking the guest room would have been fine with me… but it would be looked at as a loss of dignity for the daughter of the Isayama clan's head to reside in a guest room while accommodating someone else."

It hurt her deeply to be saying those excuses from her father and she didn't even use the exact description he had for Yomi, which had been hard enough for her to hear.

"What about me?" Came her cousin's weak reply.

Looking away, Mei appeased, "What about Kagura's room? Kagura is already at an age where she could fend for herself. It could be a good opportunity."

"So you're saying-" She could hear Yomi's voice start to change from grief to anger.

"I mean her active duties in this household are remarkable, better than even you when you were her age." Mei haphazardly noted, which unknowingly only hit Yomi harder, "She shouldn't be playing the helpless girl anymore. Depending on someone else forever isn't good."

Yomi understood what Mei was trying to say to her and knew that it was meant to solve the trouble her uncle had caused with his wrath, but Kagura was the most precious thing she had and she never felt the girl was depending on anyone. Rather, Yomi had already admitted to herself that she depended on Kagura to play her role as little sister more than Kagura actually needed a big sister.

Seeing Yomi calming was a good sign for Mei, but there was more stinging at her from the back of her mind. The room wasn't everything her father had wanted Mei to announce to her cousin. There was just another thorn left to drive into Yomi that couldn't be left alone.

"Yomi…" Her cousin looked up at her again, "Could I- could I have Shishio? Father said to have you release ownership of Shishio. He said… he said if you couldn't protect Uncle, you may not have the power to wield Shishio." Mei felt like vomiting; she couldn't believe she had to say that.

"What?" Yomi growled, pushing her tightened fist into her mattress.

Mei rushed to pull Yomi into her embrace. She knew how hard it would be for her cousin to hear those words. Shishio, despite how much she knew it belonged with her and a true Isayama, had almost been a part of Yomi for years. Carrying with it not only the power and honour of the Isayama clan that Yomi wielded with pride but also being one of the few lingering mementos of her departed father, she knew her cousin cherished the weapon.

"This isn't fair for you, I know. Yomi, I'm sorry for all of this. I hope one day you can forgive me and forgive Father, but I know I don't deserve that kindness." She whimpered, cringing at the guilty memories flashing through her mind.

The next words would destroy her, "Mei, I don't blame you or Uncle for any of this. I'm the one that wasn't there to protect my father. It is no one's fault but mine. Uncle is only acting this way because of grief. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're being so kind to me right now. Thank you, Mei."

Mei felt numb from the mix of emotion. Her cousin was her most hated rival ever since it could be seen that her uncle favoured the outsider more than anyone in the family. She loathed having her take up the mantle of the Isayama clan and take from her any opportunity she could have had at succeeding her uncle. To have that same person now hugging her back, taking full responsibility for actions Mei knew had been her own fault, then even going so far as to say Mei need not be forgiven broke Mei's heart into splinters. What had she done? How could she have caused so much pain to someone this good?

"Anyway, maybe you're right about Kagura, but I don't need to take her room. I think Uncle would be more pleased without me around. I think it would be best if we both left. We could take up temporary residency at her house for now." Yomi added, wiping away the stray tear in Mei's eye with a soft smile.

"Yomi…"

* * *

"Yomi!" Kagura exclaimed, seeing Yomi exit the house.

As she made her way to her sister, she overheard a vocal conversation off to her left near one of the further houses on the estate. Leaving the building was Izuna Norisada, a displeased countenance to

meet his company, Isayama Yuu. The two heads of their respective families engaged in an angry discussion over the fates of their descending generation.

"Isayama-dono!" Norisada growled, "This is not right! The previous head had already stated he was giving his position to Yomi."

"I already explained this earlier, Izuna-dono. I am only acting in accordance with my Honoured Brother's will." Yuu replied.

"Who are you trying to fool? It is only because I heard that Yomi was going to inherit the position that I agreed to allow Noriyuki to marry her." Norisada countered, that statement alerting Kagura to the truth behind her ideas of a happy family with her sister.

"It doesn't matter what you heard, that arrangement was between you and my Honoured Brother." Yuu noted, "And I am not Yomi's father. Asking me to deal with Yomi's marital situation isn't proper."

"Since it's like that, this arrangement will need further consideration before a formal decision is to be made."

Having heard the whole thing, Kagura immediately went to Yomi's side, taking her away from the area and back inside. Seeing Mei inside made Kagura uneasy, but she didn't know why. It was then that both of them would inform her of the new situation, of how Yuu had decided that the head of the clan should stay at the main house and that Yomi should vacate the premises, which they had decided on having Yomi leave with Kagura to live at her house.

"But that's-" Kagura tried to protest, but Yomi would stop her.

"It's alright, Kagura. I know you must have grown attached to this place, but it was never supposed to be permanent anyway. This is to help Uncle and Mei with their duties."

"But Yomi, it isn't fair!"

"Kagura, the decision was already made and we should respect that. Now, go pack your things so-"

"Yomi, it's fine. She can take as long as she needs. We should go attend Uncle Naraku's cremation." Mei interjected, pulling Yomi away as Kagura's eyes filled with tears.

* * *

After Naraku's body was cremated, Yomi returned to Kagura's room to make sure she was doing as she was told. Though she had been packing her things, Yomi could tell she wasn't trying to be as cooperative as she had hoped. Sighing, she walked herself downstairs, choosing to abandon her things. What did it matter anyway? Nothing in that room had ever held any real meaning to her. Besides, she had something else on her mind now. Sitting herself by the window sill, she lifted her hand to reveal part of a wing belonging to a blue butterfly. Closing her eyes, Yomi recalled how she came to obtain the object.

_Watching her father's body burning in the furnace had been painful and overwhelming for her, but she held her composure well enough not to draw attention, particularly the undesired attention of her uncle who wanted any excuse to loose his full wrath upon her. However, Mei was unusually expressive of her emotion and wanted to comfort her cousin in any way she could, which only provoked the reverse effect. Yomi became suspicious of her odd behaviour. With the pressure of maintaining her posture in the presence of the other family members while bearing witness to burning of the only Isayama who had ever taken her in, Yomi's mind was on edge and bordering on paranoid as it coped with her grief._

_ Afterward, when she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts and recollect the fragments, she found herself again in the company of her over-attentive cousin. Without warning, she took Yomi into her _

_embrace as if a mother sheltering her from the harmful world. It was safe to say, with the memory of Mei having been lukewarm toward her at best, Yomi resented this abrupt change of heart. Her normal response was to simply take it as a ploy or ironic discomfort the moment someone finally accepted her, but circumstances weren't normal and neither was she in a logical state. Then, her confusion would become clear. Amidst the whimpering and condolences, Yomi saw the object she dreaded despite it confirming her expectations. There, clinging to the fibers of Mei's yukata was a blue butterfly wing, one of the same variety that she had seen when Kagura's mother was killed._

Yomi twirled the wing about with her fingers as she gazed vacantly at it. On the inside, however, she was screaming. It was already clear to her what had been going on underneath and it made her sick. The words she had happily shared with her father to praise her cousin resounded throughout every recess within her and would have caused a shudder if she was still capable of feeling anything apart from the growing rage. She only needed to maintain her slayer professionalism, which was what she currently awaited. Following her discovery, she tore off a piece of the wing and had one of the ministry's associates take it for analysis. Part of her prayed the findings would be inconclusive or would direct her elsewhere because she didn't want to proceed down her current path. Her present situation allowed her the small luxury of pushing back the imminent confrontation.

"Yomi?" Kagura's voice whispered to wake her from her misery.

"Come sit." She replied, smiling weakly.

Kagura quietly took a seat next to her sister, asking, "Yomi, will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine. It's just returning to how I used to be after all. I never was a person that needed any material things."

"What are you saying?"

"All I need is you, Kagura." Yomi clarified, hugging her close, "You're the only thing I treasure."

Kagura entrusted herself to Yomi and hoped she could one day be strong enough to end her sister's plight. It had been unjust the decisions made against Yomi and after she had to suffer such devastating losses that led to them. However, the girl had no idea what was actually destroying Yomi then, the pulsing throbs of betrayal within her with the knowledge of the truth she could only ignore for so long. Every moment as Kagura began to relax and surrender to her own emotional exhaustion, Yomi was losing the battle waging inside her heart and soul. She clung to the younger girl tighter and struggled to block out the images, replaying countless times how her father must have died at the hands of her own cousin. Her sister was the only one she could use to shield herself from it, but it was a feeble attempt. Eventually the report would come and then she would have to face it, no matter what. Her instinct already knew it, her mind had figured it out for a while now, but she refused to accept it until there was nothing left to deny.

"Kagura, we'll be together as sisters forever and leave all of it behind us." She lied, cradling the sleeping girl in her arms.

She buried her face into Kagura's hair and focused on its scent and the warmth of her body. All the while, her heart was racing as she waited for her peace to break with the ringing of her mobile. And then the first one would come, followed by a second, and a third. She played with the thought of not answering, but it was painfully clear what she had to do.

"Hello?" She answered weakly, her mind fragmenting once more as she imagined all the better outcomes that could be offered to her.

"We've confirmed it. There are stains on the wing that were identified as coagulated blood droplets. The blood belongs to Isayama-sama. Yomi, where did you-"

Yomi ended the call immediately. She prayed she would feel tears well up in her eyes or feel weakness in her knees, even vomiting from the stress of hearing the truth, but her heart had stopped pounding. Her body was cold. Her soul that had been clinging to the innocent days only recently passed no longer held such delusions. Reality had struck her down and left her with nothing left inside. She gazed blankly at the girl lying on her window sill, slowly forgetting her last remaining treasure. Her eyes trailed towards the Michael 12 lying beside her and the sight began filling Yomi with other ideas. She began counting the sequences that had passed through her mind regarding just what her reaction should be to her father's murder. She could feel it in her hands as the bag was cast aside; she could feel the power beneath its scabbard. This was all that mattered to Yomi now, that and her sole remaining memento of her father. She had to retrieve it and reap her vengeance upon the one who had caused all her strife.

* * *

*From: Yomi

Sent: Today 6:37PM

Mei,

Could you meet me at the warehouse where they found my father? I think closure is what I need right now and I think I can get it there, but only if you help me.*

The slayer continued to peer at the message as she made her way to the area. Her guilt forced her to face Yomi and be there for her, but her heart pounded heavily in her chest for the same reason. This was the scene where she crossed the line and could never return. Rightfully, she should admit her crimes when she saw her cousin and accept any retaliation without resistance. However, deep within herself, resentment was growing.

Every step that drew her nearer to the site echoed those words to her, _'All of this shouldn't have happened. If only my uncle had done the right thing and given me what was rightfully mine, I would never have had to concoct such a risky plan and then it wouldn't have led to making the most destructive deal in my life. My damnation is all Yomi's fault!'_

However, that didn't change the bottom line which was what she had done. She was a slayer who had gone against everything her upbringing had taught her, everything that she had sworn to uphold. She'd released malevolent miasma knowing it would poison the world. She had forged an alliance with evil her family was charged with eradicating. She had murdered one of her kin in the face of an enemy. Regardless if her intentions had been justified, nothing could remove the taint from her hands.

"Yomi?" She called out, entering the dark and empty warehouse.

Silence was her answer as she timidly perused the large facility. She was mindful of the taped crime scene spots, shivering as she passed by, trying her best not to let her eyes fall upon them. Moving to a darker area, she placed her hand on the side of a box. There was a blood smear on it that she knew would be there. She recalled the motions that had allowed her uncle's blood to splatter onto the box and she closed her eyes, a part of her sensing that an end was approaching. A tear slid down her face before she calmly wiped it off and called out for her cousin once more.

Mei reached an open area under a catwalk and took a breath. It had been at least ten minutes and the fruitless search had begun to frustrate her given the conflict inside her. Looking to her left and then her right, she made one more step forward before something fell in front of her. Gasping in surprise, she looked down to identify the object and was horrified to find half of a blue butterfly's wing, stained with blood. Shifting her gaze upward, she saw a figure with its eyes glaring into her, the gleam off the blade it carried telling Mei who it was.

"Yomi!" She called out as Yomi dropped down.

"I praised you." Yomi's voice uttered, her tone weak and broken.

"Yomi, listen to me. There's more going on than you know!"

"I believed in you." She continued, shaking.

"Yomi, I didn't want it to come to this." Mei pleaded, knowing she would never have forgiven herself let alone her heartbroken cousin.

"Father was suspicious about you, but I was so proud of how strong you were."

"Yomi!"

"Father was trying to warn me about you, but I was caught up in your façade. I was even angry with myself for thinking less of you in the past." Yomi continued to mumble, casting her eyes at the ground before her cousin.

"Yomi, please believe me. I never wanted this. I thought I was doing the right thing." An obvious lie, but she could fool herself for the moment.

"You were my elder. I wanted to respect you even if you didn't respect me. You saved me when I resented you and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to make up for it by trying to be closer to you like Kagura is to me. You were always so solitary. It felt lonely."

"Yomi."

"Uncle wanted to know how I could have allowed Father's killer to escape unscathed. How could I have known that I wasn't only letting her go, I was adoring her and trying to ask her forgiveness. Maybe he was right for banishing me and taking my inheritance. How could I be an effective leader for our family if I couldn't even detect our enemies?" Yomi cringed, tightening her grip on her weapon.

"Yomi, I'm not your enemy. I didn't mean for Uncle Naraku to die. It was a trick. I was fooled into believing-"

"QUIET!" Yomi screamed, raising Michael 12.

On instinct, Mei unsheathed Shishio to defend herself, but this only enraged her cousin further. "How dare you raise that against me. I will return Father's sword to its rightful place. As a slayer, it is my job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world."

Mei was taken aback by those words used against her and took great offence. She had taken full responsibility for her actions as a slayer who had murdered her own, but she would not accept being considered in the same rite as one of those wretched creatures. They stood mere feet apart, weapons held in opening stance. Yomi's heart filled with hatred and rage, her eyes seeing only a villain in her sights. Mei was more complex. She was embittered by the outcome of her schemes, the belief that she had been betrayed, lured, and baited into defiling herself appealing to her present state of mind, but she was still a slayer and knew her responsibilities. She wanted to lie to herself so there was some shallow possibility for forgiveness, but the truth was right in front of her eyes. Yomi was avenging her fallen father, doing what was expected of her as a proper daughter. What had she done? How had she honoured her family?

Yomi lunged forward before Mei could react, distracted by the guilt she desired gone. Michael 12 pressed against the Shishio and its user pushed Mei back before going for a series of powerful strikes. Mei's body was unwilling to strike back, plagued with the knowledge of her guilt. Tears streamed from her eyes as she knew her time drew near. After another volley of strikes, Yomi forced her opponent to flinch enough to break her defence and remove the sword from her hands. Seeing Shishio fly and plant itself into a nearby box, Mei quickly guarded herself with her halberd, catching Yomi's next attack and twisting to trip her. Yomi recovered quickly, angered further by the retaliation. She turned and made a low cut, going

for Mei's waist, but the attempt was met with the halberd's staff. Mei flipped back and positioned herself into a defensive stance. Her eyes widened in fear as Yomi was already upon her. Striking down, Mei held out her halberd horizontally, the force behind the assault pushing her back a few steps. Still, the callous maneuver alerted Mei to Yomi's state, which posed a potential vantage point for her. Distraught as she was, Yomi was attacking like a mad bull, uncalculated and a victim to her emotions. It made her power much greater than usual, but her technique and training was completely forfeit. Though she couldn't bring herself to attack, basic instinct also forbade her from staying herself so the next moment Yomi struck, Mei moved her halberd against the Michael 12's blade, causing Yomi to stumble and fall into the boxes ahead.

When Yomi recovered, she realised what she had been doing and tried calming herself. She wanted her revenge, yes, but she wasn't going to get it using the mad rampage tactic. It had been a disgrace that she had allowed her father to be slain; it would only further shame her and her father if she was to be defeated due to a reckless charge. Scanning the arena, she saw that Shishio wasn't too far from her. Michael 12's design was superb, crafted by the skill of Master Michael, but Shishio was her family's treasure. Not only was it better if she could avenge her father with their family's most prized weapon, but the spiritual power of the Shishio far surpassed any other blade. Equipping Michael 12, she assumed the same ballistic assault she had been using and lunged for her cousin who prepared to deflect in the same way. However, just as she reached, Yomi pulled to the side, surprising Mei and smacking her in the back with her knee. Mei fell and, with that position, Yomi planted her feet against her side and pushed herself into a roll. She came out of it right in front of Shishio and reclaimed it without trouble. Tossing Michael 12 to the side, she leaped forward with the familiar weapon, poised to make a proper killing blow.

Mei saw in horror what she had just fell for and looked about for any options to save her life. By this point, she had convinced herself that Yomi's anger hindered any chance of her being a worthy head of the Isayama clan, providing her with more justification to deny her cousin of her revenge. Her body began to accept it and she began to believe her excuses, thinking to herself that all of this was Yomi's fault if not her uncle's. Now knowing Yomi had her focus back, Mei knew she had to be careful. Lesser than her or not, she was still a strong slayer and very talented. This coupled with the fact that her new weapon bolstered one of the greatest of all spiritual beasts, she was more than likely to arise the victor. She would have to be careful.

As Yomi arrived, Mei flipped back, hitting another wall of boxes. Pushing off them, she struck Shishio with the side of her halberd's blade, and spun to land behind Yomi before throwing her heel into Yomi's back. Her cousin fell forward, but quickly recovered into a roll before stopping herself and swiping her leg for a sweep. Mei flipped to the side and stabbed, but the blade of Shishio guided her halberd into the boxes and Yomi closed the gap immediately, using the short range advantage of her sword to force Mei to let go of her weapon. Without a weapon and facing a slayer with Nue for a trump card wasn't where Mei could afford to be so she readied herself for any opening. Seeing it in Yomi's horizontal slash, she ducked underneath, the blade taking off strands of her hair and the flower she kept in them. However, the maneuver allowed her to regain her halberd, which she quickly pulled against the ground to send sparks into Yomi's eyes. Yomi's training, however, saved her from it as she put up her hand and slid, landing her foot into Mei's ankle. As she fell, Yomi slammed Shishio down, but Mei was able to bring the halberd up just in time to catch it. Their momentum placed Yomi on top of Mei, but Yomi's footing wasn't steady and a roll of her staff allowed her to trip her cousin. Before Yomi could grasp her head with her knees and maintain her advantage, Mei pulled the halberd back and pushed Yomi's legs away. Her cousin would only use this, as well, tucking and rolling back to her feet just to swing her sword around and catch Mei across her chest as she tried to stand. Mei would stumble from the wound, but dodge the following stab and regain her footing.

* * *

Kagura's eyes opened slowly and began surveying the area to remember where she was. Seeing the familiar stairs and hall before her and feeling the wooden sill she had been lying on, she identified it as the residence of Isayama Naraku and recalled how she had fallen asleep while trying to comfort Yomi. Looking around, though, she found no sign of her sister and knew trouble lay ahead on instinct. She got up and took a few steps until her foot hit something on the floor. Yomi's mobile was strewn upon it and

showed missed calls. Kagura took the device and viewed the call records to see that they had all come from the ministry save one. Using her own phone, she contacted the ministry only to find that there had been an attack, signs showing it to be a Category B, Kasha. Nori, Kazuki, and the others had already gone off to take them and it was unanimously agreed that they would keep Yomi and Kagura out of it given the recent events regarding the two. Acknowledging this, Kagura ended the call and went to the missed calls list to find Mei had been the only other one to contact Yomi. Kagura guessed that Yomi found out about the mission and wanted to have Mei with her so as to let Kagura rest. It was the most likely action her sister would have made. Sitting back down, she began looking through Yomi's messages casually, eventually seeking out the message Yomi had sent to Mei. With a disappointed sigh, she opened the message and began reading its contents.

"Warehouse?" Kagura asked, confused by the odd words Yomi had entered.

She wanted to leave well enough alone because this was Isayama business, which she could not take part in despite considering Yomi to be her true sister. However, something didn't feel right and it was worrying Kagura. Using Yomi's phone, she redialed the most recent number to find it was actually directed to the lab at the ministry. She would learn that Yomi had wanted blood analysis on a fragment of a blue butterfly wing, which came back as Naraku's blood. Kagura realised that Yomi was seeking to avenge her father and that meant she would have gone directly to face such an enemy. She had gone to a warehouse and asked for Mei's attendance. Perhaps the enemy was powerful enough that Yomi knew she'd need help and what better company could she have in avenging a fallen Isayama than a fellow Isayama?

"But…" Kagura mumbled aloud.

Still unsettled by this development, she took to finding the warehouse and hopefully offer her own abilities in slaying her uncle's murderer. She only prayed that Yomi would be safe and that her sister would return to her as she used to be before everything in her life went to ruin. Praying this to be true, Kagura hurried off.

* * *

Shishio had made Yomi's onslaught much more devastating due to the morale it brought her. The weapon's craftsmanship aided her passes against her cousin, but she felt more at peace with it by her side. It was no longer in enemy clutches and could therefore be saved from further defilement. It was a tool bearing with it the essence of Isayama Naraku, which made it the only fitting item to exact her vengeance.

"Yomi, don't do this." Mei pleaded, the words only having the reverse effect.

Swinging hard from her right, Yomi broke through Mei's defence and loosened her grasp of her halberd. Following through, Yomi swung up and forced her cousin's arms in a compromising position. Knowing this, Mei angled the blade enough to partially deflect and block Shishio from finishing its next strike, but Yomi saw her opening and wasn't going to allow Mei to take anything else from her. Pushing through with all her might, the blade scraped harshly against the halberd and plunged itself into Mei's forearm, slicing through and out of her wrist. As Mei screamed in pain, Yomi cast a sadistic grin and twisted her blade to sever the limb. Mei pressed what remained of her arm to her chest and struggled to keep her hold on her halberd, but Yomi was on her within moments, striking the weapon from her hand.

"Mei." Yomi breathed, her hair concealing her visage from her terrified cousin's view.

"Please no." Mei begged, tears freely flowing from her eyes, "Yomi!"

"Be silent!" Yomi spat, revealing the cold, dead gaze that was hidden earlier, "I don't want to hear you ever again!"

Raising Shishio, she released her Ga-rei, Ranguren, and hovered over Mei's fallen and defenceless form. Mei looked from her cousin to the menacing spiritual beast and understood her fate. Her mind

shrieked with the injustice she felt she now faced and her heart began filling with hatred for Yomi rather than the sorrow and grief she had had earlier. Every moment Yomi used to be vindictive only helped in agitating Mei further and thoughts echoed inside her mind. She felt the fate she was handed was far from fair and that Yomi was taking more glory out of her strife. She had only made those poor decisions and that foolish alliance with Mitogawa because of what her uncle had mistakenly done for Yomi. That led to her unforgivable murder of Isayama Naraku and signaled the last chapter of her life, which Yomi appeared only too happy to carry out. What gave her the right to play the unfortunate victim and avenging hero? What justified her current place as the evil entity?

"Ranguren-" Yomi growled, her teeth bared as she commanded her Ga-rei, "Houkoha!"

* * *

"Chief, thank you for bringing me here." Kagura said again with a bow.

"Don't worry about it, Kagura. As I said, we had been picking up scant signals around this area anyway and if Yomi is here, she may need us."

"Kagura, you said Yomi asked Mei here?" Kiri asked.

"Yes, I saw the message in her outbox." Kagura confirmed, showing Kiri the message, "You don't think Yomi is in trouble, do you?"

"It's strange. Her message was sent just an hour before the signals began to appear in this area. Maybe-"

A scream pierced through the air and the ground shook. Once the ministry recovered, they immediately sped for the warehouse, their youngest member fearing the worst and hoping the scream hadn't come from who her mind was thinking about. As soon as the doors were open, Kagura burst through and rushed to the sound of the next scream only to find Mei, bloodied and battered, pleading with Yomi to stop her torture. She couldn't believe it nor could any of the other gasping members of the ministry.

Yomi didn't even notice their arrival, her mind closed off to anything else apart from the squealing mouse struggling before her. Taking in a few more ragged breaths, she growled, "Ranguren! Houkoha!"

The blast tore apart Mei's skin and the cracking sounds showed that the continuous blows had broken some if not all of Mei's bones. The concrete floor was fragmented and jagged and the surrounding boxes where all but shreds. Mei's blood-spewing body writhed weakly and her eyes gazed blankly in different directions, one of them hanging partly from its fractured socket. Choking out more of the crimson fluid, Mei's mouth seemed to be saying something, but her larynx had long since been crushed.

"Ranguren…" Yomi began again.

"Yomi! No!" Kagura screamed, striking Shishio from her hands with Michael 12.

Yomi's eyes opened wide as she finally took notice of the new presence, taking her eyes back to Kagura soon after. She couldn't believe what had happened and didn't want to accept the event stopping her from finishing the job.

"Kagura…" She mouthed, her heart shattering, "Why?"

"Yomi, stand down! Now!" The chief ordered, having Kiri on guard.

Once she realised her delicate position, Yomi quickly clutched some of Nue's hair and had it leap from the building. All the while, her mind replayed Kagura coming to defend the one who'd caused all of it,

siding against her to do so no less. How could she have done that to her? Who did she have now without even her last most treasured person?

* * *

'_**How could that filth do this to me?'**_

'_I'm sorry, Yomi.'_

'_**I was going to get what was rightfully mine!'**_

'_It was all my doing.'_

'_**She'll pay for the pain I had to endure!'**_

'_What have I become?'_

'_**Look at what she did to me!'**_

'_I must repent. This is the fate I created for myself.'_

'_**When I'm done with her, she'll beg me for death!'**_

'_Please… forgive me.'_

A stray tear fell from her eyes as Mei's consciousness slipped into the darkness. The Mei she had wanted to be slowly blurred into nothing and freed the growing irrational Mei born in response to Yomi's ruthless assault. Pain coursed through her and brought foul emotions to her. Her former envy exasperated as she contemplated the outcome of their encounter and her hatred followed suit. As she reached her final breaths, the ideal Mei vanished into death and left her a corpse filled only with grief, regret, and vehement rage.

"Such a miserable warrior. What became of your destiny? How did it come to this?" Mitogawa purred, humouring himself with his success.

Mei's eyes directed themselves at his voice as best they could, her body trembling with anger. She desperately forced her limbs to move and lift her back up. All she could think about was hurting something to appease her own agony, but her muscles were bled out and her bones were barely holding her body together. She was helpless and it only fueled her wrathful heart more.

"All that delicious emotion. My dear Isayama Mei, you are beautiful." Mitogawa continued, leaning over her form.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to be able to do anything besides just lying there waiting for her death like some hapless victim. She was better than that. The head of the Isayama clan was going to be her title. How could she just die like this, an insect squashed by an orphan?

"Do you still want to take what should be yours? I can give you the power you need to get it if you want to." Mitogawa grinned, crouching over her.

Yes, power, power like he had. She wanted the power to take back her life. She wanted the power to fight the destiny she was cursed with and correct its mistake. It was only just. Yomi never belonged in the Isayama clan. She was robbed of her place in life and slapped in the face for trying to get it back. Her own ability hadn't been enough. To give herself what she should've gotten, she'd have to take it by whatever means necessary and she'd need the Sesshouseki.

"Tell me what you truly desire." He said, a vile glow erupting from his eye as his lips curled into a hideous grin.

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-:**

**復讐行方****－****ふくしゅうのゆくえ****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 08**

**Translations: **

呵責連鎖－ かしゃくのれんさ －

_Kashaku no rensa_

Chain of Blame

Akureika – Evil Spirits

Tsuchigumo – Ground Spider

Bake-zori – Living Scandal

Okubi – Giant Head

Kama-kiri – Hair-cutter

Yukata – A casual summer kimono

Kasha – Fire Wheel

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-: **復讐行方 － ふくしゅうのゆくえ －

_Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: Fukushu no Yukue_

Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Whereabouts of Revenge


	5. 復讐行方

**喰霊－ 零－**

Will you kill someone you love, because of love?

この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!

_Disclaimer:_ Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!

_A/N:_ Sorry for taking so long, but it's updated now! Last time, Yomi discovered what Mei did and viciously assaulted her cousin in vengeance. This severely deviated from the original anime and I hoped presenting Mei in a guilty form was done well. She didn't seem to show much of her human side in the original series, having such a short time to work with, and the only two instances you really got to see her, she was desperately struggling against the Sesshouseki. In my opinion, the reason she gave in to it was due to her conflicted thoughts about Yomi. However, back then, there wasn't much to go on so I expanded Mei's human role to better exemplify it, giving her a guilty conscience, doing wrong in life, taking the two sides of her opinions of Yomi without one of them being nurtured by the stone, and then giving her a breaking point much like Yomi's in the actual series. Whether or not I portrayed it well is up to you, my readers, but I always wanted to see what Mei would feel given the time to acknowledge how destructive her opinions had become. Last chapter, you saw them, the side of her that was jealous and reasoned through her jealousy of Yomi that Yomi was undeserving and an unjust obstacle placed in her path and the other side that understood just how much Yomi had to lose just to enter a new life where no one appreciated her except Naraku. In the original anime, you saw the jealousy and it was made a large part to Mei's tragic character that she couldn't overcome it until the very end and only because Mitogawa was done with her. However, since last chapter already finished with that, this chapter is back to the anime's portrayal, but with obvious changes. Also, as Mei was supposed to be a victim and I characterised her more of the unwitting villain, this chapter should bring both sides together.

Before I get to the reviews, let me also explain this chapter. Last time, when Yomi attacked Mei, she was stopped from finishing the battle, also deviating from the anime. That one event is going to trigger a major difference in how Chapter 6 will play out. Also, I believe it falls more in line with the manga as the Supernatural Countermeasures team weren't the most hospitable of old friends once Yomi returned. Furthermore, it gives Yomi more of a confusion about her next moves. After all, for those who saw the anime, it ended due to Yomi finally gaining clarity on it, but she didn't seem very confused to begin with for me. Also, it seems to conflict with how Yomi is portrayed in the manga so I hope to buffer out those potential bumps.

To Ominae, while I'm not quite the MOD fan that you are, I hope this chapter gives you what you were hoping for. Yes, the MOD are going to be in this chapter as are some key members of the faction. Their interaction in this chapter also sets up something I felt was missing in the anime, too, something I couldn't completely reason about the first episode of it. I hope you enjoy it. (Also, there's that other item, let's just call it an Easter egg until the end.)

To MaesLawliet, Mitogawa struck me as a good villain, as well, and I wanted to exemplify his cruelty further, so again, this chapter will hope to accomplish that. Speaking of which, Yomi striking first is one of the changes that I hope will bring the anime prequel and the manga closer together. It takes a rather evil person to brutalise a defenceless foe, doesn't it? And it is time for the Sesshouseki so I hope I've given you a good enough demonstration of its power and thrall.

**復讐行方****－****ふくしゅうのゆくえ****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 08**

_"Yomi is hereby suspended until further notice." The chief stated in a stern voice._

Yomi dragged her feet through the empty halls of her abandoned home. She had gone to seek refuge there knowing she couldn't go back to the Isayama residence. Very few people knew about the location and it figured most of the ones who knew had forgotten about it by now. It was a place she could belong; after all, she'd lost anything that made her matter.

_"That's not enough! She should be hunted down and made to answer for her crimes! It should be obvious why she did what she did!" Yuu screamed, slamming his fist on her desk._

Huddling in a corner of the dilapidated building, Yomi sank her face into her knees as far as she could, hoping her blanketing hair might hide her from the world forever. She just didn't have the strength to deal with it anymore.

_"Yomi will be brought before the ministry to defend her actions. This does not permit violence towards her. No matter what, you needed Yomi and used her when you wanted. She is the most powerful slayer in the Isayama clan and you know that." The chief retorted._

Tears welled up in her eyes though she fought hard to keep them back. As the first droplets sprinkled onto her legs, she winced and held tighter to them, shutting her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to hold the rest at bay.

_"Yomi nearly murdered my daughter and her body is missing. You already know this ties in with a spiritual entity in the form of blue butterflies, which was present when Tsuchimiya-dono's wife was slain. Yomi was present at that event, too." Yuu roared._

_ "What are you implying?"_

"Wretched woman, guilt hath shriveled thy spirit." An eerie voice bellowed, surprising Yomi.

* * *

"Yomi was next in line to take leadership of our Isayama family. She must have allied herself with an evil spirit to expedite this and killed Honoured Brother herself. Now, it's taken my daughter to her and who knows how far she'll go to keep my Mei from her proper inheritance. I want Yomi brought to justice at once!" Yuu exclaimed.

Kagura gasped, but she knew there wasn't anything anybody could do about it. Even if they could, it just didn't seem like anybody would considering the compromising situation they had found her in. Yomi was blazing mad with sadistic glee and Mei was helpless. Kagura knew there had to be some reason behind it and it couldn't have been what Yuu believed.

As Yuu left, the chief sighed before asking Kiri to start the search and wheeled over to Kagura. The young girl had been silent the entire time at the ministry and was inconsolable all the while coming back from the warehouse. However, it had been a while and Jinguuji Ayame had always been someone Kagura could talk to so she thought she could try and have Kagura talk to her now.

"Kagura, you should know it will be all fine. We'll find Yomi and we'll get through this together." She told the girl, rubbing her back gently.

Kagura was still silent, her expression vacant and distant. The chief knew she would take it hardest. Isayama Yomi was the closest thing she had to an older sister and had acted as such for the past three years. If what Isayama Yuu said was valid, it meant Yomi had gone rogue and had even gone so far as to torment her victim, an unforgivable act that would warrant her own death. Obviously, a revelation like that would overwhelm such a young girl. Thinking quickly, she ordered the team to take Kagura away and console her as best they could.

* * *

"Nabuu will make you laugh." One of the brothers said, patting Kagura's shoulders.

"Nabuu will also make you laugh." The other one said.

Nori started to make his comments, but opted for simply putting a hand over his face and leaning against the wall. Meanwhile, the funny faces the twins were using didn't seem to be too effective. Kazuki noticing this stepped up to aid the struggling brothers and contorted his face into a very strange mixture. His mouth was pulled wide, nostrils flared and pulled up, and he managed to use his remaining fingers to flip his eyelids inside out. Off to the side, both Iwahata and Nori gave out a hapless sigh, the latter hanging his head with a shake.

"Kagura doesn't need this right now!" Iwahata abruptly grumbled, clenching his fist.

As all three of them stopped and turned in his direction, Kagura blinked a few times, traces of tears evident in her eyes despite her trying to hide them. Iwahata immediately approached them, which both Nabuu brothers understood and quickly retreated. Kazuki, unfortunately, was not as aware and continued giving the white Mohawk-haired man his blank confused stare right up to the point where said white Mohawk clasped his large bicep around his neck.

"Kagura, all you need is to look to your bright future. Bad blood and upsetting moments happen, but it's nothing to worry about. Kid, you're not old enough to be angsting for real so pick that chin up and keep going strong!"

While his words were true and should have made the right kind of impact, Nori knew it wasn't what was needed at that moment. Kagura wasn't upset because of something horrible in their line of work. Well, not exactly anyway. It was strange that none of them got it, but Nori knew what Kagura was thinking. Of course, it could be particular to him since both his and Kagura's thoughts fell on the same person and both of them were taking it personally.

"Iwahata, take five and let me have a go." Nori said, walking past the large man while he choked his still captured Kazuki.

"Nori-chan." Kagura uttered, looking up at him.

"C'mon, let's go for a walk. I think some fresh air would do us both some good."

* * *

"Tell me what you truly desire." Mei's body lurched as her lips curled into a wicked smile.

Mitogawa revealed the ovular crystal, another Sesshouseki fragment of the Kyuubi, and pressed it against her sunken chest. A bright yet eerie violet light emanated from it and burned her body, scorching each wound she'd gotten from her cousin's vicious attack. Her cracked ribcage pushed back up into place and each of her fractured ribs pressed together and solidified. The cold and pale limbs writhed and shuddered back to life, trembling in horror. Her eyes were pulled back into reforming sockets and her distorted vision blared back to clean and vibrant colour, focusing on the night sky above. Her other senses returned to her one by one, the touch of the cold and damp floor her body had been lying on, the dry stagnant stench of her own formerly decaying flesh, and the taste of her own dried blood crumbling as her tongue lurched back to life. Her ears began to soak in the quiet sounds of the night, though her brain would interpret them much differently than before. Laughter rang in mind, the creatures roaming about the darkness voicing Mei's distorted perception of reality. She saw Yomi a villainous fiend who mocked her for her weakness and took advantage of her guilt. She felt shame at every corner of her surroundings and felt as though every one and every thing saw her to be a joke and a failure.

"What do you desire?" Mitogawa's voice returned, piercing through her solitary thoughts.

"Yomi." Her mouth whispered.

"You still crave the position you lost to her?" He mused, his Sesshouseki glowing.

"Yomi must die!" She mouthed more forcefully, her body tensing as she rose back to her feet, "Die."

* * *

"Thou gather thou must die?" The odd man asked, taking a seat near Yomi on a rotten stool.

"Category B, Nurarihyon." Yomi uttered, lifting her head just enough for her eyes to identify the creature taunting her.

"Only a Category B be I? I shan't believe this to be true. You humans and your amusing taxonomies. They rival the musings ye provide with your needlessly complex society."

"What do you want?" Yomi spat, fighting back her tears.

"Oh, but sweet child, tis thy duty to have me subdued. Art thou not a slayer?"

"Leave me alone."

"Foolish sentiment. Thy downfall come not from outward opponents."

"Leave."

The creature rose back to its feet and walked over towards one of the shattered yet still hanging frames on the nearby wall. Yomi knew she would not be rid of his company any time soon, but she knew she didn't have the energy to put up with him either. Lifting her head slightly, she watched his motions, from fixing the frames to tidying the creaking floor. She didn't understand what this thing was doing here as a Nurarihyon's behaviour typically didn't progress this way. They were known to be leaders of the spiritual circles, guiding them toward their duties and niches. They themselves were known to inhabit vacant mansions as master of the house and act as influential humans. This one had the speech patterns of a very traditional honke male and carried on his role as such. However, why was this one staying at her old home, a lowly household, and what was the point of taunting her?

"What are you doing here?" Yomi asked weakly, slowly getting up.

"Fascinating history, would thou not agree?" The Nurarihyon spoke, casually glancing at the empty and broken frames.

"What are you talking about?"

"To think it would come to this painful chapter. Amusing humanity is."

Yomi's frustration overflowed her reservations and she growled, "Enough of you! Why are you here? What is the point of this?"

"If I have not been clear, I find thy race delightfully fulfilling." The creature lightly replied.

Yomi's lips quivered as her sadness and despair overcame her anger and, defeated, she slumped to her knees and tried to fight it back without much effect. Her mind had already been cluttered with recent events, her father's brutal murder, the revelation of who had done the deed, the sickening thoughts and reminders that she had not only promoted the murderous witch, she had also resented herself for disliking her, and then having her most trusted and treasured sister betray her and come to the defence of such an enemy. Now, there was the lingering belief in her own inferiority due to not preventing the previous mentions and how much she had succumbed to them and her inability to exorcise the Category B humouring himself with her grief.

"What happened to me?" She uttered aloud, gaining the attention of her guest.

* * *

"What will happen to Yomi?" Kagura cried, burying her face in her hands, the tears flooding from them.

"Nothing will happen to her. The chief might have made a harsh decision about her, but it's to protect her until she can explain what was going on. I won't believe that Yomi would attack somebody out of jealous or selfishness." Nori said, rubbing Kagura's back to soothe her.

The two had walked from the ministry in an arbitrary direction simply to get away from the cumbersome air of it. Even though Nori's goal was to get Kagura not to think about current events and turnouts, he himself had troubling thoughts regarding what was occurring and doubted his seemingly steadfast statements about Yomi's innocence and altruistic motives. The last conversation they had was of greatest concern. Yomi had taken notice of Kagura's amazing growth, but was receiving it with lukewarm sentiment. Yomi's pride was great and she had noted her accomplishments as having required her hard work. Meanwhile, Kagura's skill was prodigious and trumping her own at a rapidly accelerating rate. While Yomi had never been the sort of person to think for herself, much less hinder the development of others, her pride was also very much a part of her personality. If she was pushed in just the right way, Nori believed she could be capable of what she was accused of doing.

"I shouldn't have done that to Yomi. She must think I abandoned her." Kagura's concerns shook Nori from his thoughts.

"Kagura."

"Yomi is like my big sister and was always there for me, but before she even had the chance to explain the situation, I attacked her." The girl said, her voice all but a whimper.

"Yomi was about to kill another person and she was even a slayer. You did the right thing, Kagura. Whatever was going on with Yomi and Mei, Yomi wasn't in full control of herself and you helped stop her from making a bad situation worse."

"But she must think I hate her!"

"Your big sister wouldn't hate you for doing the right thing. She was very upset and confused over what happened to Isayama-dono. If you didn't stop her, she'd only have more to answer for so I'm sure she'll realise that if she hasn't already."

"What if she doesn't, though? She's done everything for me and then I fought against her."

Nori knew that Kagura's concerns were incredibly juvenile, but there was more to the situation that he had stuck on his mind. Why did it have to be Mei? It made the issue much more one-sided against her without any clearly visible justification behind it, not even to him. A random victim on a random mission could've been an honest mistake or a possible enemy or even an act of kindness to end the misery of a dying victim. Having Yomi caught in the middle of brutally killing Mei seemed to only have one likely reason and Nori didn't want to accept it even if he was thinking it.

* * *

"Look at you back on your feet." Mitogawa mused.

"This power." She mouthed to herself, her vacant expression glaring out into the distance.

"Is it too much for you? Maybe you were better off put out to pasture." He continued to snicker.

Mei returned those words with an annoyed leer, "I allowed Yomi to take her vengeance for what I did. But, what I did was all because of you!"

Turning to him, she lifted him by his collar as his calm and bemused countenance widened, knowing the success of his ploys. He kissed her hand and caressed it in his hands, loosening her grip on him and pulling her close once his feet were back on the floor. Despite her disgusted look, he smiled with flirtatious eyes and created a swirling swarm of his butterflies around them.

"Your envy has matured and the resulting wrath is exquisite. Please elaborate our next course."

"I want to find some way to set Yomi off balance like I was before. I want to show her how horrible she was when I finally thought to show mercy. She never deserved it, but I made a terrible decision and wanted to atone."

"I feel I should be apologising about now."

"Save it. I can't actually blame you when I'm the one that agreed to your plan. In the end, it was a good method, just without the proper caution to finesse, but I'm sure you already knew that. I don't care anymore. Yomi had her revenge for what I did to Uncle Naraku and then she took it too far. I was ready for her to kill me and avenge her father's honour with my blood, but that never gave her the right to humiliate and abuse me. She saved her honour and that of my uncle's, but she stole more of mine away in doing so. She needs to understand that and needs to learn that I could have crushed her at any time, but was holding back in duty. Then, after I've embarrassed her and she realises how worthless she is, then I'll remove the taint of the Isayama family." Mei exclaimed.

"Hmm, interesting and intriguing idea, my dear. Still, I wonder just how you plan to carry that out."

"If you have a thought, share it. I'm bored with your games."

Snickering again, Mitogawa simply looked her in the eye and shifted his gaze behind her, "Just look."

Suspicious as she was, she did as she was told and looked behind her at the curtain of butterflies. As the numbers thinned out, a shape became evident beyond their sapphire veil. Eventually, the shape began to be identifiable as a human, a human that was carrying something in its right hand. Mei waited impatiently for the big reveal, but knew deep in her mind what surprises from Mitogawa Kazuhiro could mean. Taking one second to glance back at him, she found him with blazing eyes and a Cheshire grin directed at her and shivered. Even having the power of the Sesshouseki now beating in sync with her heart she was unsettled by it. Dread and doubt growing within her warned her that the power was nothing in comparison to his scheming. Part of her knew he could just as easily pluck the stone from her and let her body wither and crumble into dust.

"What-" Mei started to ask, turning her head back to the figure, but stopped herself with a gasp as the last layer of butterflies cleared away.

"How far can your will go?"

Thought initially shocked to see it, Mei soon calmed herself and returned her company's enquiry, "As far as I have to."

Looking back at the figure, she cringed but forced herself to walk to it, "How does my Uncle Naraku fit into this plan? And how did you get his body back?"

Mitogawa's sneer widened further, "In the crematorium. I just needed that one second of silence to have some of my beetle friends retrieve this corpse. As for my plan, shouldn't you say 'our plan'?"

"I did mention how tired I am of your games, right?"

"Yomi's respect and love stems from this man. If we point him against her, she'd feel the same guilt and restraint you felt before and you'll have the fight you desire."

To this, Mei's own lips curled into a smile, "An eye for an eye then? It makes sense. Uncle Naraku was the reason for my own guilt and withholding of my true skill. How fitting it would be to use the same exact cause against her. You've done well, Mitogawa."

* * *

"Why are we back here?" Kagura asked her companion as he opened the door to the warehouse.

_ "I want to be alone." Yomi told the specter._

_ "But I require an audience." The Nurarihyon stated._

_ "Find it somewhere else then."_

_ "But what better company be there than thou, slayer?"_

The area had been sealed off, but to an agent of the Countermeasures Department, that only meant no crowds. For the first few minutes, Nori occupied himself with searching through the entire structure. He examined each stain of blood, believing them all to have come from Isayama Mei. Two sets of conclusions presented themselves to his mind and he couldn't make a decision as to which he'd rather believe. On the one hand, Mei was probably the culprit. As much as Yomi could be proud and envious, Mei was the poster-child for it. Yomi was too good to admit to it, but it was clear how much Mei resented her. She was the only candidate for promotion before Isayama Naraku discovered and rescued Yomi. Her father undoubtedly filled her thoughts with hatred of being passed over and it didn't seem unlikely she would have done something that could have set Yomi off. However, that was the pleasant outcome Nori wanted to embrace deep within himself and he realised that couldn't be the only outcome. In the end, Mei was a slayer and was professional about her work. Why would she do something harmful to her own cause? Then there was the conversation he had had with Yomi. She seemed bitter about Kagura's development and, proud of her improvement or not, Yomi wanted to be the best for her hard work. With her being replaced in her clan and losing her father, it wasn't that unlikely for her to break and do something she'd regret. If only there was a clear answer.

_Yomi struck the spirit harshly with her stiff kick, the Nurarihyon barely blocking it. The next punches and lunges exploded with tremendous sound and displayed her anger vividly. All the while, the creature smiled at her, admiring her strength and grace through such times._

_ "Thou art exquisite."_

_ "Shut up."_

_ "My priestess, the hatred in thy heart helpest guide my own." He said, taking hold of her hand after another of her strikes._

_ Yomi's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, while her body fought hard against the Nurarihyon, her mind recounted the attack. She saw herself from Mei's point-of-view. She felt how terrified her cousin was while she continued her onslaught. Her eyes trailed to her arm and she could feel the sting of her flesh coming apart like Mei's when she sliced off her arm. She shuddered in her step as she thought about the Houkohas she loosed upon her cousin. Every blast, all of the force behind them, the fury of her Ga-rei as they struck Mei again and again and she could only think about the unfortunate truth: She was this thing's priestess. She had crossed the line._

Kagura stared at the scene horrified. The scorches and dents about her reminded her of how she had found her sister, a menacing murderous figure hovering over a helpless and broken slayer. Mei's body was limp and shattered and even knowing that, Yomi wasn't going to stop. The damages spoke to her and taunted her worries. She could hear Yomi's voice whispering to her, telling her how much she enjoyed the pain she produced and relished in the screams and pleas. Tears flowed out from her widened and fearful eyes and the whispers grew louder and echoed all about. She saw Yomi's form a beautiful but dangerous huntress, her many victims mangled and twitching at her feet. In her hand was the severed head of the school nurse. She hadn't gotten over what Yomi did when all this started happening; she hadn't forgotten how unfazed she was about it.

_How many had she killed? Granted, they were already dead and possessed by restless evil spirits, but Kagura could make the distinction between mindless creatures and former human beings. She had always been afraid to slay them regardless of being told so many times what they were and, more importantly, what they weren't anymore. Had she become tainted without knowing?_

_ "Priestess, what be thou pondering?" He asked her, catching her fist in his palm._

_ "Just shut up and leave me alone."_

_ Kagura was strong, stronger than she could ever hope to aspire to and yet, she was unwilling to mutilate human bodies when her duty as a slayer called for it. They were just Akureika, but Kagura could see past their decayed and rabid appearance to the human being they used to be. Maybe a slayer can lose herself by dulling her emotions to this fact and as such become capable of unleashing her full wrath for personal gain. If this was true or not was now immaterial, but Yomi tried humouring herself with those possible alterations to her fate._

"Kagura?" Nori called out when he saw her frozen in place.

The girl had been standing still, her face growing paler as her eyes focused on a single spot in the middle of one of the boxes. Nori looked and examined the surface, but couldn't understand what had captured Kagura's full attention. Concerned, he walked up to her and shook her lightly by the shoulders to bring her out of her daze.

"Oh, Nori-chan. Yomi…" She replied as her eyes directed themselves to him.

"C'mon, Kagura, we aren't going to find anything here that we don't already know." He told her, grabbing her hand and leading her outside.

"Nori-chan."

"If we're going to make any progress, I think we'll need to get our heads together first and that means taking a step back and relaxing. Let's go for a walk."

"Nori-chan…"

"I know what you're thinking about. It's the right subject for sure, but not for right now. We need to help Yomi get over this."

Within the next hour they found themselves out on a dirty road overlooking a lake. Nori leaned against a rusted railing and signaled for Kagura to join him. A light breeze blew through them, the cool air easing the tension in one but causing shivers in the other. Nori used the gentle surroundings to persuade himself of his better hypothesis, of the Mei plot rather than the Yomi defection. Kagura took the chilling currents as a demonstration of the absence she felt in her heart. When she was in danger, her big sister had been there to save her and comfort her. She had not done the same in return and now that comforting and nurturing older sibling was seemingly lost to her. After a spell, they would move on, but the consequence of stopping would not leave them for a while.

* * *

"Category C!" One of the Ministry of Defence's special ops exclaimed, cocking his Type 99A Modified Light Machine Gun.

Elsewhere in the city, a minor horde of spirits had begun causing trouble. As the Ministry of the Environment was dealing with other issues, the central government had appointed the Paranormal Disaster Countermeasures Division in their stead. Several units had broken off from the main group and turned towards the next blocks on either side. They were a miniscule nuisance, but could grow in number and still had enough malicious intent to warrant a threat. Recently, there had been increasing reports of such activity from the usual spirits roaming about. Field Commander Sato took a team of fifteen down the main street and sent equal teams of ten to take out the other groups.

"Category D: Koratta! Fire at will!" The sub-commander of the left ordered, exorcising some of the rat-like creatures.

The others opened fire and began exterminating the rest, the rats' numbers falling quickly with the multiple volleys. However, their shadows weren't fading even as they dissolved into the ether and the spirit-seeking visors weren't displaying any unusual signals. Suddenly, there was an explosion nearby. A parked car was tossed into the storefront next to it and the asphalt sunk down to reveal an ovular indent.

On the right side, the Yorunozuku eluded many of the infantry, but the sharpshooter of the team managed to set up her Type 97 Heavy Machine Gun and plowed them all down. Unfortunately, the same result occurred, only the shadows took flight and collected in the sky, darkening it substantially.

"What's happening to them?" One of the men of the main group asked, his bullets dealing barely any damage to the Habunake as they slithered, destroying concrete and cars with every attempt to assault their assailants.

An explosion rang out from the left and right blocks and the few surviving units ran from the flames. One trailer limped out towards the main group, but was quickly retrieved by a thick black claw. The sharpshooter screamed out about a Category B, dragging her limp and bloodied leg as she clung to the crumbling wall of a nearby building. Before she could make it to safety, the enemy, a Category B: Akumogani, appeared and crushed her skull in its vice.

As the giant ebony crab crawled out from the remnants of the block, the Wendigo from the other side leapt out, landing on another soldier, the one it had grabbed from before still in its clutches. Meanwhile, the individual Habunake slithered to each other and joined into a third Category B: Kraken. The trio surrounded the ministry's men and toyed with their fright. Some took to the front and created a perimeter in hopes the other artillery would be enough to fell them given the time to set them up. As the remainder of the team worked on that, their circle shrunk every second despite the endless barrages of ammunition being fired outward. Finally, four Type 92 Grenade Dischargers were up and loaded with custom salt-coated iron BB claymore grenades.

Before any of the rounds could be used, the Kraken took its multiple limbs to ensnare those of the ministry forming the perimeter, which freed the Wendigo to plow through and dismantle several of the weapons. In the disarray, the Akumogani managed to crush two more in each of its pincers.

"Regroup!" Sato commanded.

"I'm out!" One of the survivors screamed.

"We're flanked!" Another shouted, one other with him backed up against him with the crab upon them.

As they cringed, lying in wait for their impending doom, a chopper suddenly shot forward overhead. From its rear cargo door, a motorcycle raced out and down onto them. Two were on the vehicle, one driving while the other sat behind wielding twin pistols. All the while, the chopper's wings sprayed a blanket of holy water down to weaken the three.

"Natsuki, separate. Take Wendigo." The short-haired blue-eyed passenger ordered, diving to his right and rolling down the Akumogani's extended claw.

As he rolled onto the crab's shell, he saw Natsuki twist off the same claw, slamming the back wheel of her motorcycle down across the Wendigo's head. Buddhist text inscribed into the tire pressed against it, burning through the supernatural bonds that held it together. As she landed, she headed for the Kraken next. With a smile, he turned his attention back to the Akumogani whose shell had already been weakened couldn't resist the close-range barrage nor the shots to the eye. Before long, it had collapsed, as well. Turning his attention to the Kraken, he saw that Natsuki was having trouble, the great number of appendages posing significant difficulty for her and the bike's limited equipment.

"Tohru, I think I need back-up." She said through her com.

"It's like my favourite AV come to life." He joked, reloading his pistols.

"Tokumu 77, sortie. Tokumu 11, make another pass." A transmission from headquarters came in.

Shaking his head, Tohru locked both barrels and replied, "Roger."

Running in, he timed his arrival with Natsuki and waited for their air support. Once it hit and weakened the Kraken enough, he began firing at its core body while Natsuki ran interference on the tentacles, keeping them from retracting and holding back the shots. The tires began disintegrating them as it went frantic and the bullets began crumbling its main body until it was defeated.

"Signals aren't usual, are they?" Natsuki asked him, approaching after he holstered his weapons.

"No, something's wrong. Report back to HQ." He ordered, heading with her back to the chopper.

* * *

"We shall see one another soon." The Nurarihyon said, taking a bow before melting back into the shadows of the dilapidated house.

Yomi gave the spot a scowl, but was satisfied with his departure and sighed in relief at the silence that followed. Walking over to the broken frames on the wall, she began taking them down. The action was to physically remind herself that that life was taken from her already and she had found a new one. It was useless to run back to it because of unhappy spasms in that new life and she forced herself to think about the best outcome of it. She thought that she'd be taken in and accept her punishment from the Supernatural Countermeasures Division without defending herself and furthering investigations. The Isayama name could live on without tarnish and she'd move on, having lost anything that mattered to her from that family. Instead, she prayed Kagura would remain by her side. She needed her little sister more than ever.

Walking over to a counter by the stairs, she began dusting it off, lost in hopeful thoughts. This eventually brought her to an aged and torn photo underneath shards of glass. She lifted the picture and wiped away the thick layer of dust and flakes of ash. Looking at it, her mind flashed memories of her extraction from this home and how she came to be an Isayama. She remembered the joy of living that life, her loving parents, the Fujiwara lifestyle. Yes, despite being very young at the time, Yomi still remembered everything about her former identity as Fujiwara Yoshiko, only daughter to parents Mariko and Torajiro whose photograph she was currently looking at. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about the fate she'd been dealt and she began resenting the next stage, accepting punishment for avenging her father in order to preserve his clan's name, hoping for the little sister she always cared for, who she trained to become the powerful slayer she was, to take _her_ back after what _she_ did, and to start a new life again, not because she wanted to, but because now she had to.

"No…" Yomi mumbled, the tears dropping onto the photo, blemishing its fading image further.

She didn't want to have those hateful ideas plaguing her mind anymore. It was her rage that made her lose control on Mei. If she had just killed her outright, she would have avenged her father and kept her honour. Instead, she managed to terrify the only person who might have vouched for her and forced herself into this predicament. She was the Nurarihyon's Black Priestess. Overwhelmed by the revelation, she collapsed to the floor and shook with guilt. Could she be saved? Did she deserve to be?

"Yomi!" A voice cried out in the distance as someone rushed over to embrace her.

Yomi's watery eyes turned towards the doorway, now surging with light. Izuna Noriyuki leaned up against the wall beside it, his eyes soft and reassuring. Shifting her attention to the other, she felt Kagura whimpering as she held her close. She trembled from it, remembering the last time Kagura had been so vulnerable. However, she couldn't bring herself to comfort the girl this time. Before, she had merely considered Kagura shocked by having her own school's nurse attack her, but with what she did to Mei, she knew who Kagura really feared and didn't know what to do.

Yomi pulled away and backed off a few steps into a drawer at the far wall. While Kagura didn't understand her withdrawal, Nori began making guesses at what might be going through her mind. Her eyes stared unblinking, her body motionless, and beads of sweat began forming on her skin. If Nori had to make any hypotheses, there was much more to the Mei incident than just the fight and Kagura was also a part. Judging only on outward appearances, he believed Yomi was afraid that Kagura wouldn't accept her for what she did despite actually having good reason and there was just too much to explain to have done successfully. On the other hand, it could just as easily be the final onset of her psychosis.

"Yomi?" Kagura whispered, standing up and reaching out to her.

"Hey Yomi, can't you get yourself together already? Look at what you're putting Kagura through." Nori calmly teased, walking up beside Kagura and placing a hand on her shoulder.

To this, Yomi could only turn away looking down at the drawer and finding the Shishio she left on it. As if out of her control, she automatically took hold of the weapon and hugged it close. Nori, having seen this, pulled Kagura away and summoned his Kuda-gitsune to the front as a shield. He knew if Yomi had gone mental that bringing forth her Ga-rei of Nue was more than enough to topple them, but it did leave enough time and distance to trust Yomi to make the better move. With Kagura nearby, the chances were higher. He didn't want to lose his fiancée like this.

"Yomi, I believe you. I know you wouldn't hurt Mei. Tell me what happened." Kagura pleaded, taking a step forward and pushing against Nori's arm.

Caught in her daze, Yomi only looked up wearily, clutching her Shishio tighter. What did she want? Everything in her mind told her she wanted to walk to her little sister and stop her sadness like she had promised. However, there was a separate side to her now, something whispering to her beneath the surface that she couldn't run from any longer. It had been born the day she lost her real family. It was nurtured by the resentment she faced in her adoptive one. After losing her father to none other than the worst of those rivals, she knew it wasn't a dismissible stain anymore. Even so, she'd been independent with it all her life and, be it pride or self-consciousness, she didn't want to admit she had weakened.

"Kagura…" The name escaped her stoic front.

As a tear slid down her face, Yomi took a step forward and loosened her grasp on her sword. Kagura's eyes blatantly displayed her elation as she, too, took a step forward. Without a moment's notice, Nori lurched forth and grabbed the smaller girl, shouting something to Yomi about sensing a signal. Tremors erupted about the outer perimeter of the house and its degraded walls began to succumb to the force of it. Yomi called out to Nori to keep Kagura safe before she made her way to the nearest window and jumped through to the outside. Unfortunately, just as she made the distance, the walls came down and took the window with it. As a last resort, Yomi ducked into the doorway to the next room before the remainder of the house came down.

* * *

Once the rumbling had ended, Yomi found herself luckily near the top and free of any heavy rubble. Clearing the debris off her, she stumbled to her feet and began a haphazard search for her two companions. The dust was thick and her senses had been dulled from the trauma so her search was proving fruitless and she needed rest, but she couldn't allow herself to until she knew Kagura was safe. As she took a few more steps, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a familiar face, short, black hair and light blue eyes in a orange and white uniform.

"'Give it up already', didn't you tell me that once?" Tohru said, putting one of her arms over his shoulder.

"Where are Kagura and Noriyuki?" Was her reply.

Off a few feet to the left came the sound of an engine revving and, as they approached, the shape of a motorcycle became visible. When they arrived, Yomi took a weary sigh of relief seeing the unconscious forms of Kagura and Nori. The cyclist removed her helmet and greeted Yomi, noting that she should take the three of them to safety, but Yomi was sensing now what Nori's Kuda-gitsune had warned him about earlier.

"Something's here. You'll need me to exorcise it." She told them.

"You're injured. It'd be best if you let Natsuki get you out of here for now. I can handle this myself." Tohru suggested.

"After what happened to Aoi? I'm not sure of your intentions. Believe me, I just went through the same thing."

"Listen, I'm n-" Tohru began to say in retort.

"Tohru, it's here, Category A. Do you think it's him?" Natsuki asked.

"Maybe, but I'm not going to take it personally. You two don't need to worry about me. Just get to safety."

"I'm sorry." Yomi muttered, her eyes no longer directed at him, "This is something I'm meant to deal with."

Throwing her a questioning glance, Tohru turned to what she was now looking at to see a woman with white hair wearing a pink and violet kimono and holding an umbrella to hold back the sun from damaging her dainty skin. Confused, he shared silent enquiries with Natsuki who replaced her helmet and readied her motorcycle for departure. Yomi glared at Tohru from the corner of her eye, a gesture showing him that she wasn't about to leave the battlefield, but her presence would allow Natsuki to make sure of Kagura's safe passage so he should take it.

"Natsuki, get them out of here." He told her, his eyes never leaving Yomi's.

Taking a few more moments to look at them both, she nodded though uneasy and left with her two passengers. Meanwhile, as Tohru looked on, he could see the focus in Yomi and her poise against the other woman, but seeing that other one was puzzling. If she was the Category A, she was incredibly calm and docile and it appeared more likely that Yomi herself was the evil spirit. The way Aoi had been before, a deranged and menacing zombie, that description didn't fit this woman at all.

"What is going on?" He asked Yomi.

"She's our target. I'll go in first. You keep me covered." She told him, her eyes never leaving Mei.

"My apologies, fellow slayer. Yomi is not well. After the death of my uncle, Isayama Naraku, Yomi became unstable. I'm here to detain her. Please stand down." Mei explained, bowing in respect to Tohru.

"You killed my father and fooled me into believing you were my loving cousin! I know you couldn't have survived our last encounter so what did you do?" Yomi seethed, unsheathing Shishio.

"You see, unstable. Yomi, this is the lie you've deceived yourself with to shade the truth. You were undeserving of the title to be the head of the Isayama clan. When you were told of your father's true intentions, as written in his own will, you lashed out, staged an assault, and nearly killed me. Even so, I am willing to forgive you if you can come to terms with your place in life."

"That's all it ever was for you, wasn't it? Nobody in the Isayama family could ever accept me except for my father and you were the worst. Uncle Yuu never did anything for his family until it came time to claim the inheritance it had. He didn't like the idea of an outsider in charge and you fell for every word of his claims that you were better. Stop kidding yourself."

"Yomi, nobody really had any negative feelings toward you. That was just your own insecurities telling you otherwise when all we wanted was to make sure you weren't thinking too much of yourself. In the end, you were an orphan saved by our leader, a charity case to be blunt."

"Ladies, what's going on here?" Tohru stepped in, voicing his confusion.

"Stay out of it." Yomi grumbled.

"Isayama business. Regretful you must take part in it." Mei politely added.

"Tell me what you've done, Mei." Yomi repeated, getting the topic back in hand.

"What I needed, which is more than what can be said of your recent actions."

"I fulfilled my duty as a good daughter. I avenged the murder of my father."

"Is that what you believe?" Mei sneered, "Perhaps you should ask him then if you truly achieved what he wanted of you."

Both Yomi and Tohru gave her questioning looks then, but their answer would come soon. From behind Mei within the still unsettled dust came the headless form of the late Isayama Naraku, the Akureika creature overlaying his head that he held in his right hand. Yomi noticeably stiffened and her eyes stared in horror at what had become of her dear father. Tohru could sense both the evil that now filled the corpse of Isayama Naraku and the growing anger within his partner. He couldn't be sure of Mei's intentions with this, but he knew that it was Yomi who was losing control. Regardless of his trust in Yomi due to their past history, his professionalism began siding him against her.

"What did you do to my father!" Yomi screamed, summoning forth Ranguren.

"I didn't do anything, Yomi. This is the end result of your thirst for power. You should have never laid claim to what didn't belong to you."

Rage pulsing through her entire body, Yomi could no longer find the control to speak and readied Shishio. Tohru shouted for her to stand down, but she had ears only to tend to battle, all other sounds drowned out in the din of war. As she raced to her intended target, she swiped her blade savagely, but ended up catching the Akureika instead as it dashed in to protect its master. Isayama Naraku's body was sliced in two, the coagulated blood splashing all over Yomi's form. Her heart sank and she shook with fright at her actions. She looked at the ground and saw her father's dismembered head, free of the creature, staring up at her with a weak and sympathetic gaze. She turned her attention to her blood-stained hands, horrified at the knowledge of whose it belonged.

"Look what you've let yourself do." Mei mused.

Her hatred returning and strengthened by her broken heart, Yomi flung herself into her cousin just in time to oppose the halberd blade she'd released as a countermeasure. Flipping back, Mei dodged the next attack, the flower she held in her hair coming loose as a result. As its petals hit the ground, the two clashed blades again, their feet coming inches from it. The force of their impact sent them back up in the air, obscuring opponents from combatants' views. Yomi growled at the interruption and leaped back to a safer position. Mei, on the other hand, took the flinch to her advantage, closing the distance and slamming her halberd downward. Yomi was surprised by her speed, given she had known Mei's skill and attributes for some time, but she reacted all the same, likening it to a simple adaptation to an unusual anomaly in the ministry's reports. Sidestepping the blow, she locked the weapon into the ground as soon as the first bits of debris popped up. Skimming the blade of the Shishio against the staff, Yomi moved in close to slice through her opponent. However, with the greater strength offered to her by the stone, Mei calmly flicked up her weapon and launched her cousin into a forward flip overhead. When she landed, Yomi found herself bracing the incoming horizontal strike to her right, the force of which knocked her several feet to the left.

Off to the side, Tohru bided his time to enter the fray, his gun aimed at Mei; however, his trigger finger wavered. All the while, the battle had been odd and his senses were detecting that Mei's output levels were well above average for a human, even a slayer, but nothing about Yomi's own behaviour allowed him the luxury of confirming Mei to be a target. He took his eyes off her for one moment to monitor Yomi, the doubts about her state of mind growing. He could hear his heartbeats getting louder as if sounding the guilt he felt. Steadying his gun, he tried shaking his head of the unnecessary thoughts.

Yomi resisted the urge, but had been slowly accepting that Mei was an evil spirit and could be dealt with with no restraint. As she gathered herself and dodged Mei's next attack, she moved to calling Nue, but two items had that plan stalled. The first was easily the unending assault from her cousin who had begun to advance. The second was her support in Tohru watching her every move. While she had seen Mei's broken and battered body haunting her memories as a testament to how dark she could go, but it was also the key sight to prove to her that Mei couldn't be as well as she was and Tohru hadn't been present then. If she unleashed her spiritual beast, it would give Mei undeniable evidence to show all second-guessers of Yomi's mental stability. It could turn Tohru against her, not to mention further Kagura and the Countermeasures Division's doubts in her.

"You seem troubled, Yomi. Are you beginning to understand just how mad you are?" Mei mused, jerking forward with her halberd.

Pulling back then lunging, Yomi replied with a huff, "I don't know what you did, but you'll slip eventually and I'll find out and expose you."

Mei's eyes narrowed in anger for a slight second, but quickly returned to glee, "But to do that, you'll need much more power, don't you? When that happens, you're afraid that pretty one standing over there won't waste any more time on you."

"I'm more afraid about the repercussions of what you did to yourself." Yomi frowned, readying the Shishio for another pass.

Taking a quick glance at Tohru still aimed but not shooting, Yomi formulated a new idea to make it through. If she had been capable of thrashing Mei to a beaten pulp before, causing significant immobilising injury just to eliminate her as a threat shouldn't be too difficult. A deep breath and settling herself allowed her to commit to the task at hand rather than the revenge ploy she was lured to earlier. She put herself on the defensive and carefully mapped Mei's patterns and surveyed her agility and strength. Following that, she waited for an opening like she would have with any of her assignments.

Tohru watched closely and decided that, as a proper backup, he only needed to shoot Mei if Yomi was subdued and Mei made a move to execute rather than apprehend. Part of him hoped he could have done more, but as both targets were human, it was too much a risk of using ammunition and too dangerous entering combat for either side with their armaments in play. Off to the side, he could see a familiar beacon of light and the roar of an engine and moved in that direction.

"Let's see if you can figure this out." Mei purred, kicking Yomi in her middle.

"Maybe I'll just take your head!" She shouted loudly upon recovery, her exclamation more of a gesture to mask her true intentions than true to its word.

"Haven't you realised it was that same rage that got you here in the first place?"

"You killed my father and paraded his corpse around yet still have the nerve to call yourself an Isayama. You actually still have the gall to claim the same position in our family that made your turn on it. I don't care how unbalanced and wrathful people want to believe I am. If it kills you, I'll still have done my duty."

"And be labeled an enemy."

"But know I honoured the Isayama name."

"Except in the logs and in all the eyes of that same Isayama name."

"Just die!"

However, despite her rough phrases, Mei's strikes were less honed and allowed Yomi to slowly and unnoticeably gain the upper hand. Each time they made a pass or clashed, Yomi tripped her opponent or weakened her stance by a slight degree. Mei's grip on her weapon slackened due to stress from continuing trauma to the staff, strikes that were useless for the killing blows Yomi's apparent state of mind should demand. Furthermore, Yomi was coming at her from less guarded areas with her changes in stance and held her on regaining footing motions instead of good offensive grounding. Eventually, Mei caught on, but also knew she was late in doing so. As a desperation maneuver, she skidded in a dodge and swiped her halberd low and wide in hopes of surprising Yomi. Her cousin saw the unsteady attack in its slowed pace and jumped it in time to come down with a stab, hitting Mei's palm successful. However, seemingly unfazed, Mei tore her hand free and used her single unwounded hand to launch her weapon forward into a stab. Though curious about the high level of resistance to pain, Yomi pulled to the side well and slid forward to stab Mei through her heart. Pulling Shishio out, Yomi waited for Mei to drop and take her much needed sigh of relief, but it wouldn't come. Mei remained standing and, worse yet, her injured hand had mended itself, a blood smear being the only evidence there was ever injury to it. Yomi's eyes went wide as she witnessed the mortal wound she'd produced in her cousin glow an eerie indigo light before closing itself. Mei smiled smartly, but then noticed Yomi sharing a similar look.

"The Sesshouseki." Yomi said lowly.

"So now you know." Mei smirked, revealing the glowing jewel embedded in her chest, "Yes, I took in the stone and it's going to help me be rid of you forever."

"You don't even get it and yet you wanted to be the head of our family."

Mei's eyes narrowed again as Yomi shook her head and explained, "The Tsuchimiya clan uses that thing to keep Byakuei under their control."

"Yes, and I'm going to use it to control other spirits, too." Mei exclaimed proudly.

"You still don't understand. They use it to control Byakuei, but its magic is poisonous. Eventually, the Sesshouseki drains the life force out of its user and turns them into an evil spirit. It's pure corruption and has a powerful miasma in it. You were exposed to it in such a weakened state, it won't take long for it to consume you. You're a Category A, Mei. And there's another reason I was smiling before. You just healed out in the open with other sensitives around."

"Yes, but they didn't get to see anything." Mei noted, pointing at the dust that had suddenly picked up around them.

"But how?"

"I have a few tricks about me, Yomi. You shouldn't underestimate the future head of the Isayama clan."

Yomi growled and equipped her sword, "Ranguren!"

As the massive beast came into being, the cloud of dust just as suddenly settled and Mei had two companions behind her. The two wore matching orange and white uniforms. One was on a motorcycle, her face shielded by a helmet and her flowing black hair freely fluttering behind her. The other had twin guns pointed at her, his face stern and unforgiving.

"Stand down, Yomi." Tohru ordered.

By this point, Yomi knew she was out of options. She was satisfied at finding out about Mei's use of the Sesshouseki and knew she could exorcise her without personal guilt, but the stone had its supernatural properties and had Mei a more than capable Category A being. Before she could fully harness the stone's abilities and become an evil spirit, she needed to defeat her. Otherwise, she might not be able to.

"Ranguren!" She shouted, bringing forth the Ga-rei.

Nue appeared over her with one of its massive paws covering her from view. As Tohru fired, his bullets were easily caught in its thick coat of fur and Yomi was left unharmed. Seeing this took him to the next stage of his training as he commanded Natsuki to move towards flanking position while he took off to the opposite side. Yomi anticipated such a move and allowed just enough time for Tohru to start moving out of the way before unleashing her spiritual beast.

"Houkoha!" She cried, readying Shishio for the next moves.

As Natsuki revved her motorcycle, Mei offered her a nod of reassurance in her abilities and flipped to safety. Accepting that Mei could protect herself, she sped off just in time to dodge the impact. She continued and circled behind Ranguren, trying to catch their attention or find a blind spot for her to attack. Yomi took her eyes to her movements for a while, but shifted her hold on her sword a bit and returned to Mei. Instead of becoming a possible vantage point for her, being behind Nue woke its snake-headed tails, which struck out quickly. Natsuki ended up more concerned with keeping at a safe enough radius from them than being a good flank for her partners.

In the meantime, Tohru tried keeping the beast off balance by firing at its sides with his guns. The shots were all absorbed with minimal results and bore no hindrance to its next series of Houkohas. Mei's heightened physical attributes made escaping the blasts quite simple and Yomi realised that its sheer size wouldn't allow it to catch a slayer of Mei's aptitude and it would be the resulting casualty instead. Therefore, she ordered her Ga-rei to interfere with her Ministry of Defence adversaries so as to free her to deal with Mei on her own again.

"Coming back out of cover, are we?" Mei mused, stabbing out with her halberd as soon as she located Yomi.

"Ranguren doesn't get to kill you. As an Isayama, only another Isayama should have that right. I'll take your body back to the Countermeasures Headquarters and have them analyze your remains. Your high levels of jyaki and the Sesshouseki should be enough to condemn you even for your father." Yomi explained, catching her step and pushing herself forward with her sword held out.

"You can try your luck at that, at least." Mei replied, flipping past her slash.

Meanwhile, Nue fired another volley of its Houkoha and forced Tohru to climb back onto Natsuki's bike to keep himself from the dangers of any further discharges. As they sped about the creature, hoping to find a weakness in its guard, Tohru was running low on ammunition. With both mounted on it, Natsuki wasn't capable of using her bike in its offensive capacity so once Tohru was out of bullets, they would be completely useless to Mei.

"Tiring?" Mei asked her cousin.

Having sliced several self-repairing cuts into her flesh, Yomi was realising how difficult it would be to actually defeat a Sesshouseki-equipped Category A, especially a fighting one like Mei was as a former slayer. Thinking quickly, she concluded that the only worthwhile strikes would have to be against the stone itself, to try and remove it from her chest. However, that was proving to be near impossible as the basic foundations of slayer combat training, or combat training of any kind, is to protect one's vital organs. Having no need to protect herself from most of those lethal wounds, Mei was in a position to concentrate all her defensive training on just the stone, expanding to other areas just for fun. Yomi's skill would eventually allow her to cause more successful hits on her cousin, but the stone's power healed her every time.

"You'll wear out far quicker than I'll die, Yomi. It'll be over soon."

Yomi ducked under a high swing of the halberd and stabbed Mei in her middle once more, but angled herself to give the scene the best chance at being seen by either Natsuki or Tohru. Turning the blade, she pulled it out of Mei's side, ripping a gash right through her abdomen. Cart wheeling back, Yomi took her foot to Mei's chin, then twisted with her other leg to wrench the upper half of Mei's body to the side. However, before the top of her form split from the bottom, the magic kicked in and pulled her lower parts back and mended into place while she flew. Worse, Yomi's earlier ploy had backfired with her current one. Having Nue attacking the Tokusen Shikai's top members made it quite unlikely that they would be focusing on anything besides the raging beast in their immediate vicinity.

"So sorry, Yomi. Your plan didn't work for you, did it?" Mei cooed in a clash with her cousin once she understood the fruitless assault.

"Maybe." Yomi said with an odd smile emblazoned on her countenance.

Noting their close proximity and the weight being thrown into their clash, Yomi suddenly split and dropped, the shift in her weight pushing Mei forward right into Yomi's waiting hand. As soon as the stone came in range, Yomi took hold of it and rolled backward, pulling her cousin into a roll. Pushing her off with her legs, Mei tumbled a distance away as Yomi returned to her feet. Cringing, she looked at her empty hand and the pain she felt in it. The evil in the stone was nocuous and stung at her humanity, evoking the same wretched thoughts she had been feeling earlier. When Mei stood back to her feet, Yomi grunted in dismay. What was she going to do?

Although her attempt to remove the Sesshouseki from her cousin had failed, Yomi's visage abruptly lightened and a smile crept back across it. There, hanging partially from her now bleeding chest was the stone, its dark aura fusing Mei's skin to it. In such a delicate state, the stone's power was no longer capable of holding the broken pieces of Mei's body together. As her injuries worsened, Mei became worried and her advances sloppy. Yomi dismembered her left arm, then loosed the other at the shoulder before having Nue leap forth and deal her a killing blow.

However, just as the spiritual beast descended, a brilliant glow emanated from the stone. Blinding light dampening her senses, Yomi leaped back to safer ground just before seeing the faintest hint of Mei's weapon looming toward her. Blocking it with the Shishio caused the weapon to explode as a stunned Yomi was bombarded with shards of the halberd, though there seemed to be far too many projectiles than could have composed the weapon. A few blue butterfly wings came into view right before Yomi's sight went black and she fell to the ground unconscious.

"Yomi!" Kagura screamed, the girl having woken during the fight and gone back on her search for her sister with Nori just behind.

She knelt beside the viciously wounded girl and cradled her in her arms, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes. Her voice was frantic and broken and she didn't know what she could do. Part of her wanted to try resuscitation, but the many punctures in her flesh made that likely a bad idea. She wanted Yomi back to normal and all of the recent horrid events to be erased, but that wasn't about to happen. All she could do was cry and beg the others to save her sister's life.

As Tohru and Natsuki arrived, Tohru immediately noticed the wings lying all over Yomi's body. From a quick survey of the injuries, he deduced that there were multiple incisions to all her extremities and a few to her chest and abdomen. Her right eye had been struck, as well, and so had her throat. With whatever had done it to her seemingly vanished into thin air, it would have been impossible to figure out just what actually caused the wounds, but the wings were a sure sign to Tohru of what, or rather who, had been the culprit. He grunted at having unwittingly aided in a scheme by the white-haired boy, Mitogawa, whose malevolence stole away someone Tohru had loved, his Aoi.

Nori and Natsuki didn't waste any time grieving over the situation and its outcome. Rather, Nori started checking vitals and cleaning her wounds while Natsuki called in for a recovery team. They needed to rush Yomi to a hospital immediately. It took five minutes to create a viable signal with all the damage about the area, two minutes to report, about ten minutes for the copter to arrive, and then they were on their way, Kagura crying over Yomi's form the entire time.

* * *

Elsewhere, in a damp and cold location, the dying body of Isayama Mei found herself immobile and fading fast. Her senses were failing her, but she could still smell the putrid air and seeing she was in an old and rotting catacomb. Mitogawa stepped over to her with a mild grin upon his face, his eye staring at her in a condescending fashion.

"Seems like your _plan_ didn't go according to plan." He said.

With a barely functioning mouth and a severely damaged throat, she managed to mutter, "More power."

"More, you say? I'm sorry, dear, but you had your chance." He jested, revealing a new stone and tossing it up and down in his hand.

"Give it to me…" She growled, the air in her vocal cords draining roughly.

Shaking his head, Mitogawa leaned in close and kissed Mei on her forehead, "I have to be frank with you, you were only a stepping stone for me. I'm sure you felt the same way, but I couldn't have you getting your way, now could I? No, I have a new playmate now. Yomi and I are going to have much more fun. Sorry, but you're being passed over again. Thank you for being so good to me, though."

"Die." She mouthed, the last word her collapsing lungs could afford her.

Grinning more now, Mitogawa simply leaned back in and kissed her deeply before saying, "And so you shall."

With that, he traced his fingers from her navel to the stone hanging from her chest and retrieved it. Mei's body writhed in pain and twitched as her silent cries of pain, horror, and rage exhausted the remaining life left within her. Her injuries reopened and the pieces that had reattached or reformed fell apart.

"And now for your final act."

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-:**

**残酷扉****－****ざんこくのとびら****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 09**

**Translations: **

復讐行方 － ふくしゅうのゆくえ －

_Fukushu no Yukue_

Whereabouts of Revenge

Kyuubi - Nine-tailed Fox

Nurarihyon - The supreme commander of yokai, taking on the appearance of an elderly aristocrat

honke – Main household of a family

Koratta – Rattata *Yes, it's a Pokemon! xD*

Yorunozuku – Noctowl *So is this one x)*

Habunake – Seviper *And yes, even this one. 8D*

Akumogani – Devil Crab

Akureika – Evil Spirits

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-: ****残酷扉 － ざんこくのとびら－**

_Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: Zankoku no tobira_

Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Gateway to Cruelty

_NOTE: Haha, yes, the Easter egg was introducing Pokemon-named evil spirits. I wonder if any of the lot of you got that one before reading my translations. x3_


	6. 残酷扉

**喰霊－ 零－**

Will you kill someone you love, because of love?

この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!

_Disclaimer:_ Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!

_A/N: _Alas, all things must come to an end. Let's hope this is remembered as one of the good ones, though. ^_~ Yes, this is the final chapter I'm writing for this story as the next chapter will play out exactly as the anime has it. Yomi's been horrifically injured and Mitogawa's plot has come to fruition. With the knowledge of what they've all done to help in the white-haired boy's plans, what are the thoughts inside the minds of Nori, Kagura, and especially Tohru and Natsuki? For those who've seen the first episode of the anime, you know what the end result was, but now it's hopefully more clear and direct why Yomi says what she does.

To my readers, MaesLawliet, haha, thought you might pick up on that. Yes, I was hoping to elicit more of Yomi's antagonistic side to relate it even closer to the manga's version of her malicious spirit form. I've done this type of role portrayal before with my Shuyin in my Final Fantasy X-2 fiction, Eternal Love. For fans of Final Fantasy, you can find it on my profile page. ^_~ I feel this type of development can better identify just why a person goes to the other side so willingly in appearance. A further analysis of it is in the sequel to Eternal Love, Spira: The Eternal Discord. I found that the third arc of the manga dealt with Yomi in a similar fashion, which also inspired my taking Yomi's character in that direction for this fiction.

To Ominae: Actually, I think the Ministry of Defence received all sorts of customised weaponry modified from their existing military forms, which is why I based all of them on existing munitions. I do agree that they should have their fair exposure and it would be more interesting to see how typical humans could handle the same threats. Seeing the ease Yomi or Kagura use to deal with the spirits can become boring unless they escalate like they did in the manga, but they could keep the Ministry of Defence for the smaller scaled missions, which is what I tried to do in the last chapter. I'm glad it was surprising but not distracting for you.

Now, without further ado, I present Episode 9 of my Ga-rei Zero, The Gateway to Cruelty.

**残酷扉****－****ざんこくのとびら****－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 09**

The chopper landed on the hospital's roof to a waiting team from the Ministry of Defence. As soon as possible, Nori and Natsuki had the stretcher on the roof and were already carting Yomi inside. Some of the team aided them, but it was apparent right from the landing that certain passengers were also in need. Tohru was despondent. Regardless of how long ago the tragedy in his life was, Aoi's face haunted him every day. He was almost possessed to find the white-haired boy that forced him to murder her and just minutes ago, he had provided him with assistance in his endeavors. He was lost on replay and seeing the end result of both instances the boy had fooled him. Aoi's limp body in the shallow water, her eye staring blankly at him blended with the motionless and bloodied form of Yomi, her remaining eye also wide open in shock and seeming to stare all too similar to her. Also needing support was Kagura, who had calmed since take off, but couldn't move past the actions she performed in recent events, which she continuously blamed herself for Yomi's present condition. Kagura felt the sting of betrayal in Yomi's eyes as the moment recalled itself to her. She had stopped Yomi from something she wasn't even sure she had been doing and to judge Yomi's reaction, she hadn't. There was more to that night than Kagura or the Ministry of the Environment or even the seers at the Countermeasures Division knew and, ill-equipped as that, she still chose to side against her sister who'd done everything for her.

The first minutes were the worst. All Nori and the others had to go by were some hardly reassuring words and a lasting look of concern from the doctors and the sight of Yomi's mutilated body struggling to keep a pulse and breath. Those minutes dragged into the first hour of what would become several and there was no word from any of the hospital staff on progress in her treatment. Meanwhile, Tohru had moved on from being a vegetable to fits of self-hatred and frustration. The tension about the waiting room was extensive and stress had everyone present struggling with their inner calm and professionalism.

"I should have seen it, Natsuki. It was happening again just like last time. It's him. I know it is!" Tohru growled, his trembling hands on his partner's shoulders.

"It's okay, Tohru. You already told me how it happened last time. He's very crafty and you couldn't have known he'd be back all of a sudden. It's not your fault and what you're doing isn't helping." She replied, trying to calm him.

However, calm wasn't a possibility at the moment, "It was him. I let him claim another one."

"You have to move past that."

"I fell for it again, Natsuki."

"We all did."

"He wanted me to fall for it."

"What he wants, we're probably never going to find out."

"I have to… for Aoi's sake." Tohru's eyes glared.

Natsuki struggled with what to say, but she knew she needed to calm him down, "I know what Aoi meant to you, but her death can't consume you or you'll fall for his tricks again and again. You know that!"

"I'm the one to kill him."

"Thinking like that is only going to let him kill you."

"Then, I'll take him with me!"

"Shut up!" Nori roared, his back to them as he continued to stand before the intensive care unit.

Tohru and Natsuki both took their eyes to him. Nori's simple exclamation awoke Tohru from drowning in personal demons. Aoi was long dead and there wasn't a thing to be done about it. Despite having been deceived then forced to murder her reanimated form, the tragedy was past and Tohru's quest for vengeance was driving him to reckless actions and creating more pain. His insanity just before was proof enough that obsessing over avenging his lost love was the best way to remain the boy's victim and fool. Yomi had paid the price for that. Was he going to sacrifice one more before realising it?

Looking at the doors behind which Yomi lay, Tohru nodded to Natsuki and began walking to Nori, "We are now in the same circumstances, but you've dealt with it differently than I have."

If he was to remember his love and honour her memory, he needed to maintain his usual collected demeanor and professionalism. Nori had done so and, by Tohru's belief, Nori would be allowed to remain at Yomi's side to protect her. In the future, that small difference would lead them on vastly different paths.

As Tohru turned, Nori's hand abruptly reached out and stopped him from leaving, "No, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Tohru only smiled, "Take care of her."

Without saying another word, he headed for the exit, Natsuki following close behind. Nori remained where he was, his eyes still fixed on the sign above the door. In his heart, he knew what his first action had to be once he knew Yomi had survived, but with what Tohru had just said, he'd have to stop himself from following in those footsteps. His Kuda-gitsune gave him insight into the world and had always allowed him to respond to incidences better than most, but this time the incident was Yomi. Nori decided that he would listen to Tohru and not fall into the same traps. He wouldn't dedicate his life to seeking vengeance. Rather, he knew Yomi's attacker would return and he'd wait for his opportunity.

"Yomi." Whimpered Kagura.

* * *

"Well, I can say that her life has been spared." The doctor informed both Kagura and Iwahata as they sat with him in his office, the scans illustrating Yomi's condition hanging behind him, "None of her injuries are fatal even though there are a total 108 puncture wounds on her person."

However, before the two could celebrate the good news, the Doctor clarified his point, "But, it would seem that her opponent made a coordinated attack and targeted her tendons and nerves, which have all been severed. Furthermore, her right eye and larynx have also suffered critical injury. I'm afraid it is entirely possible she'll never speak again."

Both Iwahata and Kagura gasped at the news. Still as a representative for the Ministry of the Environment's Supernatural Countermeasures Division, Iwahata was concerned also in regard to the investigation on Yomi. Despite hoping for his former teammate's full recovery on a personal level, Iwahata was sent by the ministry to see about the prospect of a future interrogation on the ex-slayer. The news that Yomi may only survive this episode a mute hindered that objective. With that in mind, he took on a more comfortable role as friend to Kagura, which meant there was another hope for good news.

"Well then, the possibility she'll ever be a slayer again?" He asked of the doctor.

"What are you saying?" Came the irritated reply, "It's doubtful even a regular life is salvageable."

"It can't be!" Kagura gasped.

"The chances she'll awake from her coma aren't enough to guarantee. I'm afraid the best outcome I can offer is that she'll live the rest of her life in that ward."

"That's enough. Thank you, Doctor Toriyama." Iwahata said, moving to face Kagura, "Yomi is strong so we have to be strong for her."

Kagura nodded her understanding and wanted to be strong in her sister's honour. It was the least she could do to make amends for her mistakes that led to Yomi's current state. However, deep inside, all she could hope for was that her sibling wouldn't hate her when she did recover. How did it get so far? All she had wanted was to stop her cherished sister from becoming a murderer. Out of that one move to oppose her, Yomi ended up being removed from the Countermeasures Division and injured to this degree. She knew all too well that none of the ministry felt any sympathy like she did. In the aftermath of Yomi's last struggle, they had discovered Mei's body and used it as further proof that Yomi had gone rogue. This was on account of what condition they found her in, which Kagura did not ever want to think about, but considering her sibling's predicament, her mind couldn't help but remind her. Part of her wondered if Yomi had truly caused her own cousin so much injury and without much remorse for it, either. At the ministry, she had heard that Mei used a stone called the Sesshouseki to heal herself from all her wounds. However, the Sesshouseki was a crystallised remnant of an ancient demon which corrupts whoever uses it. Apparently, it was assumed that Mei's injuries were too severe that she took the stone as a last resort in order to be healthy enough to capture Yomi. At least, that's what they came up with, a terribly one-sided story if Kagura had anything to say. Nori also had issue with it, but as they both were deemed too personally invested in Yomi, their accounts were dismissed and it became basic fact that Yomi had succumbed to personal demons that made her murder Mei and betray her adoptive family. Kagura could only hope that Yomi would wake and they could move past this unbearable turn of events.

* * *

Back at the Supernatural Countermeasures Division Headquarters, Jinguuji Ayame received the latest updates in their ongoing investigation of the Isayama Incident. Naturally, the foremost important site was where Yomi's body was recovered by Izuna Noriyuki and Tsuchimiya Kagura for the obvious reasons. However, it also held significance itself and potentially allowed a hypothesis on her actions to become plausible.

"In regard to the location where Yomi was found: We analysed the damage around Yomi. It seemed there were multiple projectiles released against her. Earlier reports suggested they were dealt by Isayama Mei's shattered halberd, but ballistics show that to be unlikely. We believe Yomi may have had an arrangement and she was betrayed. Readings of the area show high levels of miasma." The agent reported, "This is an image of the area and a closer view of the spot where she fell."

As he handed over the file, Ayame saw the cover image and recognised it almost immediately. It had been filed with her grandmother, the former chief of the division, and had been made by Isayama Naraku when he completed a mission against several spectres assaulting a former local residence. There was only one survivor rescued on that day and Ayame had remembered hearing about it on a number of occasions, most importantly, on the day Isayama Yomi was recruited. It was in her biography and detailed how she came to be known by her present name. Seeing that Yomi had returned to her former home could have meant that she no longer accepted her role as an Isayama clan slayer. Perhaps she made some sort of deal with an unknown antagonistic force in order to start a coupe and raze the Isayama clan. For her, it could have meant freedom as even Ayame knew they had never taken Yomi as one of their own.

"Continue." She told the agent.

"This is where we discovered Isayama Mei." He replied, handing over another image, "As you can see, her body was severely wounded. After forensics, we found that whatever wasn't severed or pierced was crushed, likely due to Isayama Yomi's spiritual beast. Her injuries also appear to have stemmed from her earlier bout with Yomi. The Sesshouseki wasn't found. We're looking into that right now."

"How did it come to this?" Kiri enquired, the question directed at the agent though it was meant to be rhetorical.

"It might be possible that a competition for the leading position in the Isayama clan created a bitter rivalry between them."

Ayame had already assumed this, but hearing them from the agent's mouth as she examined the photograph of Mei's remains, she just felt it ridiculous that such a trivial pursuit would have resulted in this, "Those two could have brutalised each other to this extent for that?"

"It's a possibility that cannot be dismissed." He answered, "Additional tests run on Mei's body suggest her soul was in a state of anxiety and envious hatred upon death. We performed final rites on it to send her spirit to rest, but the findings make their rivalry plausible."

Ayame didn't like it, but she had made the same reconstructions. The next step was simply to interrogate the criminal in person, despite having had such close relations with her before this incident.

The next words from the agent disturbed both Ayame and Kiri, "We cannot even dismiss the notion Yomi intended to kill Mei then herself."

"You mean a homicide-suicide?" Kiri asked.

The agent nodded as Kiri gasped, obviously flustered by the possible revelation, but Ayame didn't want to accept that and the next assumption had her all the more upset, "Otherwise, it could be that she sought to facilitate a victim image for herself following her vicious assault on Mei by critically injuring herself."

"Enough. Thank you, that will be all." Ayame ordered.

* * *

_Swinging hard from her right, Yomi had broken through Mei's defence and loosed her grasp on her halberd. Following through, she had swung up and forced her cousin's arms into a compromising position. Mei, knowing this, angled the blade enough to partially deflect and block Shishio from finishing the next strike, but Yomi had seen her opening and wasn't about to allow Mei that luxury. Pushing through with all her might, the blade had scraped harshly against the halberd and plunged itself into and through Mei's forearm. Mei had screamed in pain, but Yomi had merely cast a sadistic grin and twisted her blade to sever the limb completely. Mei had pulled what remained of her arm to her chest, struggling to keep hold of her halberd, but Yomi had her within moments, stripping the weapon from her hand._

_ "Mei." __She had growled, her hair concealing her countenance from her terrified cousin's view._

_ "Please no." Mei__ had begged of her, tears flowing freely from her eyes, "Yomi!"_

_ "Be silent!" __Had been her reply, revealing the cold, dead gaze hidden from Mei earlier, "I don't want to hear you ever again!"_

_She then raised Shishio, releasing Ranguren from it, and hovered over to Mei's fallen form. Mei took her eyes from her cousin to the menacing spiritual beast and had understood her fate. For a slight moment, Yomi's eyes had fallen upon Mei's own terrified gaze and memories of their childhood returned. She had remembered seeing her first minutes as an adopted Isayama, her father sending Mei with her to clean her up and better adjust herself to her new surroundings. She remembered assuming Mei as a surrogate sibling and hoping to regain what she had lost with her. However, the later memories overtook them, the years after when Mei would abandon her, challenge her, and stray further and further from that vision until..._

_ "Ranguren-" Yomi growled, her teeth bared as she commanded her Ga-rei, "Houkoha!"_

"Are you satisfied?" A familiar voice echoed.

"You're the one that deluded Mei, aren't you?" Yomi asked, suddenly seeing herself back before the ruins of her former home, a boy with white hair sitting on some rubble just a few yards ahead.

"In the end, it took someone like her with that remarkable heart to bring all this to reality." Mitogawa said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You."

Yomi's eye flared open as she found herself greeting a bright sunny day. As her other senses returned to her, she realised she was in a hospital room and facing the ceiling. If the white paneled room with the one fluorescent light blinding her wasn't enough of a clue, the faint but distinct smell of ammonia and used blankets made that revelation impossible to miss. What was of greater difficulty was figuring out why she seemed to only have some of her field of sight back and why she had woken in this place to begin with. Scanning around the room found her nothing, but the elapsed time brought one more sense back to Yomi and revealed to her everything that was wrong. Her body burned with pain and the dark spot to the right of her visual range told her one of her eyes was now non-functioning as she turned her other eye to it.

Looking back to the left, she noticed a nurse arriving to check her charts. Seeing her awake, she simply nodded and walked back out, making a slight mention about calling for her doctor. Barely making out what was through the windows on the left, she couldn't find Kagura or Nori anywhere and worried about their condition following that incident. She wanted to curse out at her pain, her helplessness, and remark on the betrayals she suffered that led her to this predicament. She both wanted Kagura by her side and hated her for being partially at fault for Mei's revival. She had interfered in that crucial first fight with Mei, something increasingly important for the slayer. She had met this Mitogawa Kazuhiro before, even seen her file and identified him, but the many missed moments allowed him to poison Mei and, in turn, destroy her, as well. She wanted to alert the staff to contact the ministry, but again, she found she didn't have the capacity. Her voice was gone and, with it, her last chance to save herself.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Yomi?" The chief asked her, Kiri by her side with kunai in hand.

Seeing her former superiors in this light brought her fate into reality. Kiri had always been rather stoic towards the rest of the team, but they knew she was fiercely loyal. To see her hostile towards her stun at Yomi's heart. She never wanted this outcome and she knew now who was responsible, but it was far too late to do anything about that. She just hoped to get past it without worse in store.

Fighting back the tears, she struggled but made the slightest of nods, awkwardly faking a smile after to show her good health. Kiri frowned and glared into Yomi, the expression piercing her deeper than any of her kunai ever could. For the next few hours, the chief interrogated her, asking about prior motives for resenting Mei or Yuu, plotting the downfall of the Isayama clan, possibly having set up her entire rescue and adoption, even suggesting she bargained with malicious spirits to efface her adoptive family. In spite of the pain those questions caused her, Yomi remained vigilant and answered each one.

"Tap once for 'yes', twice for 'no', okay?" She had instructed. Yomi had only the use of her right hand, and even then, just the strength to move two to three fingers so that became the only solution to having an early questioning rather than waiting for her recovery.

"We'll get straight to the point and start asking. If you feel you do not want to answer a particular question, that is fine, but not recommended. Anything you do will be documented and could be used to determine possible criminal allegations. Do you understand?"

Yomi bit back her resentment and tapped the counter once.

"Excellent. I reviewed your recent mobile activity and found that the last number you used was Mei's. Is this accurate?"

Yomi tapped once again.

"Did you call her out on patrol or to handle slayer duties?"

Yomi tapped twice, the strain on her weakened form excruciating.

"Did it have anything to do with our organisation's activities?"

Again, Yomi tapped twice.

"So it was a personal vendetta."

Yomi held back for a moment, pleading with the two to skip the question, but she knew there was nothing to do and no one to save her. Taking a breath, she tapped the one time for "yes".

"Fine, then let me ask you: Are you the one that murdered Isayama Mei?"

Yomi let out a quiet gasp and blinked away the flood of images that showed her a raging monster savagely attacking her helpless cousin. Even if she had succumbed to the Sesshouseki, Mei would have died during Yomi's first assault. She had killed her cousin in cold blood and had nothing to justify her actions other than vengeance. Looking down at her hand, she tapped once.

"Was this due to the decision made by the Isayama clan to replace Isayama Naraku with his brother and subsequently with his daughter Mei?"

To this, Yomi felt saved. She could admit she had no jealousies of the decision and her reason for harming Mei was due to what she had done to her father. Quite readily, she tapped the two times for "no".

That was when Kiri snapped, "Tell the truth, Yomi. We saw you with Mei. If it wasn't you losing your spot in the hierarchy, what was it?"

Yomi tapped twice again for "no". She needed to get the point across that she wasn't petty about her actions, that Mei had done an unforgivable deed and thus was to be punished.

"Enough Kiri." The chief ordered, "So you murdered Mei without personal motives?"

Yomi tapped once happily.

"I see." The chief noted, "In that cas-"

"Did you hate my Mei so much?" Yuu growled, bursting through the room and unsheathing Shishio.

The elderly man aimed the swords point straight at Yomi's face, demanding answers for his adoptive niece's treachery. Yomi would later discover that her uncle learned of her later fight with Mei from the leaders of the Ministry of Defence. The chief had informed him of her previous one, but had made a note of Mei's acceptance of the Sesshouseki despite its evil properties. However, Yuu judged his daughter's decision as being the only method of bringing Yomi to justice. After being ambushed and besieged by one of the strongest spiritual beasts, the only way Mei could hope to challenge and arrest Yomi was to heal with the power of the Sesshouseki. Yuu deemed Mei a hero, one who sacrificed her very soul in order to try and apprehend a vicious and violent monster. Mei's only faults were probably giving her cousin the benefits of her sympathy and compassion, holding back her full capabilities so as to wake Yomi from whatever malevolence that possessed her. Instead, Yomi's lunacy overwhelmed an already fatally wounded Mei and the aggravated assaults were too much even for the Sesshouseki's power to protect, costing his daughter her life.

"Stop, we aren't finished here yet." The chief commanded, Kiri stepping in to stay Yuu's hand.

"Yomi, you say there was no envy in your motivation for killing Mei, though you still murdered her. Could the reason be that you allied yourself with another party that wanted Mei to die?"

Yomi tapped twice, but wanted so terribly for her to change the wording of the question just a little. In her mind she screamed, 'It was the white-haired boy! Mitogawa! It was him!'

However, the next question was, "So you were alone in your bloodlust."

Yomi tapped twice, not accepting that word, but knowing a "yes" helped her in a different way.

"So there was another. Who was it? Who wanted the downfall of the Isayama clan? Are they after the Tsuchimiya clan, as well?" The chief asked, "Tell me Yomi, were you planning to kill Kagura, too?"

Yomi's eyes went wide and her rage boiled back to the surface. She gritted her teeth and wanted intensely to be able to move, but all she could do was tap her fingers. In her anger, she began tapping several times, the strain unbearable, but no longer of concern to her.

"She's insane. She went mad after losing the coveted position of our family and killed my Mei in bitterness." Yuu suggested, lifting the Shishio, "And when a dog goes mad, you put it down."

Just as he swung down against Yomi, a tender hand shot out and caught the blade in her fingers. As Yuu turned his attention, he saw a stream of blood trickle from the girl's hand and noticed it was Tsuchimiya Kagura who had stopped him. Quickly pulling the weapon back and sheathing it, he grunted and proclaimed ownership of the sword in Mei's stead.

"You should understand where he's coming from, Yomi." The chief stated when Yuu left.

"From now on, the activities of the Supernatural Countermeasures Division are none of your concern. Worry more about your own well-being. You'll need it." Kiri coldly stated, wheeling the chief out of the room.

"We have Kagura now. She's grown to be a capable and _reliable_ slayer in her own right. We are leaving all of your previous duties to her." The chief added just as they exited.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Yomi. They wouldn't tell me you woke up so they could come here without me." Kagura apologised, "If it wasn't for Nori-chan and his Kuda-gitsune, I still wouldn't know about it."

Yomi was unresponsive. What could she do? Even if she had the capacity to hold a conversation, what could she say to her sister? She had fallen and Kagura seized the advantage, even if it wasn't on purpose. Kagura had succeeded her before she was ever allowed the opportunity to accept and acknowledge it. Kagura who had betrayed her, who stopped her from dealing the righteous blow, who ended up forcing a second battle between Yomi and Mei, who accidentally allowed Mitogawa's schemes to flourish again, who had done so little yet received so much. Kagura who Yomi's heart froze from.

However, try as she might to ignore this one, Kagura continued to visit and chatted with her like before, as if nothing had occurred. The schism that tore through time and space to separate them, Kagura simply ignored and with each moment she bore it no mind, that schism began to shrivel. Yomi couldn't forgive her, no never. Yomi couldn't allow herself to weaken again and create more pain. Mei had loathed her all her life and yet, from a few slight gestures, Yomi had welcomed her into her heart only to have it shattered. She'd never allow a repeat.

Still, "Yomi, does it hurt? I'm sorry."

"I promise, Yomi, I promise to keep going for you."

"Don't be upset with them, Yomi."

"Is it better?"

"Yomi."

"Yomi."

"Yomi…"

Eventually, with all the support and comfort and consoling, Kagura was able to chip away at Yomi's embittered heart. Her visits became more frequent and lasted longer. She began talking about the mild nuisances she incurred from day to day thanks to Yacchi. Yomi's troubled mind began filling with school events, annoying boys, annoying but cute boys, what Yacchi got them into _again_, and the like. For the moments she was there, Yomi felt the larger issues at hand slip away, hoping that she'd return to that simpler world now that she was definitely a slayer no more.

* * *

However, Kagura's visits were always limited to the hospitals designated visiting hours. Nightfall brought a span of hours each day of loneliness, worry, and despair. Yomi was still paralysed. She was still never going to reclaim her life as it was. She could never claim a new one for herself. There was no chance she could live out a normal life. She was completely helpless and at the mercy of those around her. And there was one in particular that whispered to her on these nights when concern gripped her mind.

"Are you satisfied?"

"The Sesshouseki." Yomi said, choosing to utilise the opportunity rather than be haunted by it, "Is it true of its origin? Is it a part of that creature?"

"Ah, so you know about it then?" Mitogawa responded, seemingly pleased by her knowledge.

"It is a shard of the legendary Kyuubi fox demon. Its amazing spiritual power eventually wears away the body of its user and converts its soul into a malicious spirit. In the Tsuchimiya clan, they seal away its miasma and use that spiritual power across generations as a tool." Yomi said, reciting the texts and files she had read about the stone.

The boy merely laughed, running his hand through his hair to reveal his own Sesshouseki, "This one is much bigger and it's a pure crystal with all of the Kyuubi's nature afforded to it. It was discovered three years ago in the Vatican. Clearly, the object didn't need seals back in Japan. What were they thinking? Out there, they've figured out that the stone has awoken and so took the initiative to increase their forces against it. Panicking and frantically seeking the strength to combat it, doing everything they can to hide away the blackest moments of our history."

"So you gave the stone to Mei." Yomi growled, understanding that even Mei hadn't acted of her own accord.

"She didn't seem to agree with it. She didn't have the spiritual presence to revive herself." Mitogawa's words stung at Yomi's heart. To think that her hatred for Mei was only out of this boy's incessant trickery, "I've been searching for a proper bearer of the Sesshouseki. You appear to be more fit for it. Your spiritual power is great. Your own physical strength is equally strong. Furthermore, your resentment… that is also powerful."

Yomi was taken aback, recalling her recent emotions during those episodes. Did she resent anyone? Yes, she did. She regretted Kagura possibly surpassing her and voiced it to Nori as such. She had to admit she was at least partly envious of Mei's skill and success in missions, even holding a certain level of satisfaction when she discovered it was all a façade. Yomi couldn't hide the fact and understood Mitogawa's intentions. He had displayed Yomi's true heart for her, given proof to the Sesshouseki and the Kyuubi's soul within that Yomi had the darkness strong enough to house it. What could she do?

* * *

"Here! Ahhhhh." Kagura told Yomi, giving her a spoonful of hospital food.

Smiling weakly at the enthusiastic girl, Yomi did a instructed and ate the food, chewing more than usual to compensate for her ailed body. Yomi made a face after due to the wretched taste of mock American food they were serving at the hospital that day and Kagura joked about how finicky she was being. Once she had finished all of the meal, Kagura wiped her mouth and chin, called a nurse to pick up the tray, and began more conversation, though showing more zeal while recounting her day than before given what Kagura felt to be a better mood coming from her sister.

"Really now, what was Yacchi thinking?" She giggled, "Anyway, what should I make for you tomorrow? I was talking to the doctor before and she said you could start eating other foods now. I have to go to the Countermeasures Office today so I'll be late."

As Kagura reached for her mobile to check what else she had on her busy agenda, she saw Yomi stir, her lips moving as if trying to communicate. Worrying that Yomi had something important to say or something she needed, Kagura panicked, but quickly came up with a solution. Mobiles had a texting features and, since Yomi was still able to use her right hand, she could text what she wanted for Kagura to read.

Placing the device under Yomi's hand, she nodded to her sister and began looking at the screen. Yomi's first text was simply a name: Kagura.

Thrilled that Yomi was successfully communicating, Kagura chirped, "Yes! What is it, Yomi?"

However, Yomi next began texting, "Noriyuki, can I talk to him?"

Kagura immediately stiffened and stood, "Uh, Nori-chan's been very busy lately. I'll be sure to remind him to visit the hospital once in a while. Right, I'll be back later tonight then! Bye Yomi!"

Yomi was surprised by her response, but didn't think anything of it. Meanwhile, Kagura pressed her back against the wall outside and took in a breath and sigh of relief. She didn't want to be the one to tell Yomi what happened between her Uncle Yuu and Nori's father at the funeral, nor did she want to tell her their final decision while Yomi was in her coma. Taking in another deep breath, she looked back at the room before silently apologising and departing.

* * *

Having no reason in her mind as to why she should doubt Kagura, Yomi let her mind stray, staring out her window at the billowy white clouds and the bright blue sky. She gave notice to some flowers blowing against the breeze a little further off and thought about the shade under the tree still a bit further. Taking her attention back to the mobile, she erased the last portion of her sentence and changed it, making out the sentence, "I want to see Noriyuki."

Closing her eyes, she imagined being outside with the flowers and the breeze, walking along the park's curving path with Nori and getting shade under that tree. She thought about her life as a normal girl, no duties and obligations to defend Japan against malicious spirits, no complicated role in a family that resented her. She began changing that image, wondering if she, in her current state, could have that life. Thinking about her paralysis, she imagined Nori leaning her against him as they enjoyed each other's company, watching children playing in the distance and a few birds singing them a minuet or lulling them to sleep with a serenade. She thought about leaning against the tree while Nori played with the children, wrestling with the lot of them and rolling in the grass while she watched and cheered them on in silence. Yomi's visions shifted to the future, attending Kagura's wedding with the entire Ministry in attendance, no longer carrying their suspicions of her. She imagined her own wedding, pondering how she'd make it down the altar, or what sort of dress she could wear. She wondered if Nori would have to carry her down the aisle, her cheeks flushing red as the crowd watched, smiling warmly for the two of them.

"Sorry for the intrusion." A voice announced itself, the door opening then shutting.

Yomi recognised the voice instantly and woke herself from her reverie. With an awkward smile, she greeted the senior Izuna, happily contemplating if Nori was behind the door.

"I heard all about it. This has all been terribly cumbersome on you." The man stated, "How are you feeling? Are your wounds still hurting you?"

Yomi simply smiled, comforted by the kind words until… "I have something I need to speak to you about." He sighed, "Let me just tell you first, it isn't good news."

_"What is the meaning of this old man?" Nori growled at his father, "Why did you break my engagement to Yomi?"_

_ "It is on account of their not holding up their end, no longer placing Yomi at the head of their clan. I was not going to allow my son to become a wayward addition to their paltry farce of a clan." _

_ "How could you no talk to me about this before making that decision? Even if Yomi wasn't made head of her family, just wait for her to heal, I'll marry her, and bring her into our family, alright?"_

_ "I would never allow my son to marry someone who has been accused of murder in her own family."_

_"We don't even know if she did anything!" Noriyuki shouted, pounding his fist at a nearby beam._

_ "You're a son of the Izuna clan lineage and should know better."_

_ "What?" Nori growled, narrowing his eyes._

_ "Do you expect to care for her the rest of your life? A person who has accumulated such heavy injury, conceiving a child will be very difficult if at all possible. Do you really want to be tied down by her forever? You're still a young man. There will be countless other opportunities waiting for you. I am your father. I'm not going to allow you to give up your future. Just tell yourself she's long passed and forget her."_

Yomi listened to everything the elder Izuna had to say, though her mind began to lose focus, haunted by the voice of her tormentor.

_ "The deep hatred that envelops your heart, it makes you the perfect candidate to assume this stone." He told her._

_ "I'm not the kind of person to bear deep hatred for anyone!" Yomi retorted._

_ "Then what are you feeling now? This feeling, it isn't even the first time. What did you feel about her? How did you feel about what she did to you?"_

"_Quiet."_

_ "How quaint." Mitogawa mused, "She pleaded with you so many times to stop."_

"_Quiet!"_

"_You should make use of this feeling. You're not wrong. This is a normal emotion for humans." He told her, "They're the ones that took it too far. It's so easy to understand that we all worked hard to get to this point. It was so difficult to find someone to care about, to care about you, only to have them pull away and destroy those bonds. And you? You've been cast off by them as a filthy traitor."_

When Norisada was finished, he tried wiping the tears from Yomi's eyes only to have Yomi pull away as best she could. Understanding what he had done, but still feeling he had no other choice, he told her, "Please, do not hate Noriyuki for this. This is all my doing."

* * *

"Okay, ahhh!" Kagura said, offering another spoon of food to Yomi who promptly refused, "What's wrong? Aren't you hungry? Here."

Again Yomi shook her head to wave off the gesture and Kagura understood what it was that had hurt her sister's appetite. For a moment, she took to reviewing her actions, running from her the moment the subject arrived. She hadn't wanted Yomi to hear about the unhappy news from Nori's father, but she also didn't have the courage to tell Yomi herself.

"About the situation with Nori-chan… I'm sorry." Kagura ended up saying.

To this, Yomi shook her head again to show that she no longer held Kagura at fault for her shortcomings in life. Despite still having grievances over her younger sibling's lack of faith in her, Yomi knew that Kagura was only acting accordingly. After all, her actions were outlandish and irresponsible. There were several people to blame for that night and the events that followed; Yomi allotted herself the heaviest charges.

"'Kagura needs to care for Kagura's own life from now on. You shouldn't use up all your energy and time worrying about me.' That's what you're thinking, right?" Kagura asked, getting another spoonful.

"Idiot." She clarified, "Don't always make protests and just eat up! Otherwise, I just don't know what to do with you."

With that, she offered Yomi a curt grin and extended the spoon again, this time succeeding in having Yomi eat. "That's right. Eat your food or else I won't give you any dessert."

Yomi smiled warmly, though her heart was still filled with much more complications. She loved having the simplistic ideals of life that her sister shared and wanted to dwell in them forever, allow them to block out the cruel and distant, unsympathetic world outside. It would be so easy to lose herself to it, to just live each day like a little girl again. There wouldn't be internal politics about who she could marry, whom she could be like, whom she needed respect, obey, defend, defeat, and a great deal more imbecilic concepts that no one should have to be burdened with. It would be impossible for an underlying plot or a Mitogawa Kazuhiro. They could live proper lives and never have to deal with all this.

_ "Is that really what you want?" That horrid voice pondered._

In the coming hours Kagura would spend at Yomi's bedside, she prepared everything for the night. While continuing her usual ploy of telling her sister of her day, she brought out a cloth and began cleaning Yomi, being careful of her scars and sores, each one of them stinging deeply at her heart. Some part of her mind was able to fool the rest of her doubts, though, as she honestly believed that one day Yomi would come back home with her and they'd live and play every day just like before. She had been counting the days until the end of this miniseries in their adventures. However, each passing day made it more of a dream than the definite reality. That vision of the future was fading, but Kagura didn't want to let it go.

* * *

After Kagura finished giving Yomi her meal, she took out a box of Pocky, a snack item the two girls shared a taste for. Also, she hoped it could give her the strength to grasp the fleeting dreams tightly until they could come to reality. Opening the packet, she gave Yomi the first one, asking if it was good. Her sister's eyes told her that she knew Kagura's intentions and welcomed them, still being the overprotective elder sibling she was. Kagura was thankful for it.

"Next time I'll buy the strawberry ones for you." She said.

Yomi knew what Kagura was trying to do and was happy to reciprocate. She remembered one mischievous morning when they had to call her out of class on assignment. It was the same day her mobile's background image was taken, an image she never once removed. That day was so simple. They had to hunt down a rampaging Tsuchigumo and that was it. Kagura was still a novice back then and Yomi was the Countermeasures Division's prominent slayer, the only one who could brave their missions single-handedly. They called her out from school and Yomi played a trick on her.

_"Delete that! Blasted collection!"_

Later on in the vehicle, Yomi used the same snack as a distraction so Kagura wouldn't think too much about her mother's death. In the same vein, she believed Kagura was using the snack to distract her, take her away from the malice and cruelties she'd endured. It was a jubilating gesture so Yomi decided to reciprocate. Taking the furthest end of the Pocky stick in her teeth, she used her tongue to direct the other end straight at Kagura and waved her in. Last time, it had been Kagura's automatic maneuver to quell Yomi's celebration of victory.

_"Hey, that was sneaky!"_

_"First to act, wins the lot." _

Kagura realised what her sister was doing and, smiling, bit down on the other end. As before, she raced Yomi to the other end, only this time, Yomi wasn't fighting back. Kagura realised just then that she couldn't, Yomi no longer had so many motor functions, and broke down.

"Not like this… This is too much! Why does Yomi have to suffer like this? Why… Why? Everybody and everything failed her! Even me. Even I failed you, Yomi! If only we could have been normal sisters without taking the role of slayers, without having some destiny. I wish I could be normal siblings with Yomi living in the same home, attending the same school, having the same dreams, liking the same people, sometimes fighting with each other, always making up in the end and all for just trivial reasons. I really want to be normal people like that with Yomi as my sister! But instead… just because…"

Yomi's heart ached seeing her sister like this and not having any way to save her this time. There was so much more than what Kagura troubled herself with, but the little girl just couldn't have known. All the world's unfair and unjust devices somehow find a way to work themselves into normal lives and cause disarray. Yomi understood that now. The destiny and the responsibilities they were handed, despite what life had given them that they resented, there was nothing to be done about them but to continue living and hoping destiny has better waiting for them later on. Yomi could accept that her life would never recover and that the underlying schemes had already claimed her, but not Kagura. Destiny owed her this much. She took on the harshness and unyielding chaos on her behalf so that she should live out a better life. In the end, Kagura should discard her and move on to that better life because that was the only way.

Painfully, she forced her weak limb to move her hand across the bed and towards where Kagura wept. It was taking everything Yomi had left, but she pushed and willed her hand to her sister, doing her best to comfort the girl and reassure her that everything would work out for the better one day. Once Kagura felt the warm touch of her cherished sibling, she looked up and peered into her beautiful violet eyes, elation flowing through her and alleviating her sorrow. Kagura scolded herself silently for her complaints as she knew they didn't help anyone. Those wants and aspirations were pipedreams. Yomi and Kagura were both a part of their respective clans with responsibilities and duties expected of them. Running from them would be disgraceful. Additionally, Yomi could never walk again. She could never speak. The chances of them becoming normal sisters with a normal household and normal quarrels was nil even if they could escape their destinies.

Taking a breath to relax, Kagura smiled at her sister, admiring her bravery and strength of will, "Forever… Forever together with me and you, Yomi. Big sister, Yomi."

The rest of her visit was spent fixing the sheets on Yomi's bed, cleaning up the dishes she brought from home, and making sure her sister was comfortable before brushing her teeth and getting her ready for the night. Once she had that all taken care of, she rested next to her sister on her bed, hugging her close. For a splendid moment, they just lay there, content in each other's company. Yomi thought about the bright future the little one had to look forward to and forgot her worries and Kagura lost herself to the break in life's dealings.

Until… "Just tell me one thing: Today at the ministry, Chief Jinguuji was talking about the thing with Mei. Even though everybody wants to believe it was all Yomi's doing, that Yomi started all of it, I know it isn't true."

Yomi's eyes fluttered wide and her fingers twitched, scratching the keypad of her mobile that still lay under her palm. If this was the moment that Kagura asked her the right questions, even her revenge could be set and those who'd hurt her could be made to see.

"Yomi wouldn't kill out of complete hatred for someone. She's not like that." Unless Kagura was more concerned about that, "That's too much. They don't understand Yomi at all! No matter how much Yomi suffers, she wouldn't do wrong."

Her heartbeats pulsed through her entire body and ripped into her, burning her very soul. She lifted her finger up, remembering what the chief had instructed her about answering questions. Would Yomi do wrong in the face of so much anxiety?

_ Her father was slain…_

_ Her family denounced her…_

_ Nori didn't stay by her side…_

_Kagura…_

_ She betrayed Yomi for another…_

'The deep hatred that envelops your heart, it makes you the perfect candidate to assume this stone.'

Stricken by the shock of Kagura's words, she felt her finger tap the loudest drums against her phone she ever heard, the coupling beats ringing through her ears, laughing at the guilt she just then admitted. How would Kagura see her now? Everyone had turned from her, but Kagura stayed strong, but for the sake of lying to herself that Yomi could do no wrong. That's not what Yomi needed then; it wasn't at all what was needed to save her. They had all failed to see it. So blind. So simple-minded. And now she would be made to suffer more.

When Kagura heard the two taps, the first a distinct beat and the second a less than eager echo of the first, she swallowed hard, but her fears bubbled back to the surface. They had been answered. Everything that she assumed Yomi would be able to deny, she now admitted. Kagura could sense it even if she hadn't already figured out what Yomi just did. Yomi had murdered Mei in a vicious onslaught. She had hated Mei and assaulted her for such a purpose. And now, as Kagura looked up to reaffirm that she had heard right, that it wasn't just more bad judgement playing against her sister, Yomi didn't dare look at her.

Sliding out of bed, Kagura looked out at the starry night sky, "I need to use the restroom. I'll be back soon so you don't have to wait for me. You should go to sleep first."

She chanced a reassuring look at her sister, but already the tears streamed from her eyes and she quickly took to the door, running out of the room to escape the truth. She couldn't stay. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to see Yomi as a murderer. She refused to accept a Yomi that was a murderer. She just didn't know anymore.

* * *

Yomi screamed out for her sister to come back, to forgive, to save her, but there was little she could do now. Still, in her panic and frantic frenzy, she began texting on the mobile "sorry", her apologies for her ill deeds, though there was so much more to tell. If only her sister would listen and excuse her faults. She desperately needed someone to understand, to realise the truth behind the lies. Everyone had been asking the wrong questions and forcing her to answer. Yomi could not deny what she had done, but there was so much more. Why couldn't anyone see? Why couldn't Kagura understand? Why did she have to be alone?

"Do you fear your loneliness?" Mitogawa's voice returned to her.

Yomi struggled with her anger and despair.

"This is a stone of wishes. It can make yours into reality."

Yomi clutched her phone with all her strength, crying silent protests at having been made a stooge.

"It can relieve you of your sorrows and pains, free you from your fate."

Yomi's tears pooled endlessly, her heart knowing her time had come.

"It can even warrant you your other desires."

Yomi's struggling ceased as she realised their futility. There was nothing left for her, nothing left in her, but to accept the reality of it.

"There is no reason for you to be left in such a way. I can help you." Mitogawa added, his form now entering Yomi's room in a shower of butterflies, "This hurt that you feel; I can help you lift that burden."

With that, he revealed it, the filthy stone that she had seen on her cousin Mei. Dropping it into her left palm, he made her clutch it tightly, the evil energies releasing into her body. It burned her flesh, but in doing so, soothed the aches that had been there. The energy she expended began crawling back inside. She could feel her heart rate climbing and her breaths quickening. The scars that were on her body began to melt away as Mitogawa passed the stone over them and her muscles tensed back up, the atrophy that had been slowly seeping in dissipating as she felt her power return.

"How is it? Amazing, isn't it?" He asked, "In the end, you are most suited for this stone."

Yomi struggled and writhed, the stone's miasma burning at every fiber of her being and distorting her mind with horrid ideas. She felt her legs tense and squirm, having been revitalised by the Sesshouseki. Mitogawa's voiced noted that any of the pain she was feeling now was only due to her nerves and tendons reconstructing themselves, binding what had been fractured, mending what had been severed, returning function to what had been rendered useless.

"What should we fix up next? What should be made beautiful again? Your chest? Your back?"

Yomi choked, trying to scream, trying to growl her resistance to the stone, to show her indignation, but this only gave the boy more ammunition.

"Or maybe I should say," He began, sliding the stone from her breast to her throat, "Tell me where your true pain lies.'"

"… M-my… t-true… p-pain…" Yomi's mouth began to say, the closeness of the stone warping her mind of its scattered thoughts, plagued already by her panic.

Fragments of memories streamed before her, the schemes by Mei and her uncle Yuu whom had both desired to steal Yomi from her rightful place at her father's side, one day claiming the role of leadership in her family. She saw them for what they truly were, evils within her family that caused her beloved father to die an unnatural death. The rest of the family had been useless, too. They merely stood by and let it happen, cursing her life to misery.

"Tell me where your true hatred lies."

"M-my… true… h-hatred."

The chief and Kiri had abandoned her. Iwahata, the Nabuu Brothers, Kazuki, and all of the wretches at the Ministry of the Environment had abandoned her to suffer like this. She had done so much for them, stopped so much death and destruction and they show her their true colours when she no longer had the strength to react. Those louts who would use her as a tool. Those ingrates who discarded her once she was defeated. They needed to pay for their sins. They had to be held accountable for their mistakes if they were to recriminate and judge Yomi for hers.

Everyone on this planet hadn't the right to rejoice in their splendor while she lay at the mercy of evil. Why should they live out their peaceful lives when she was prisoner to the wants and desires of others? She had been an innocent girl, stripped of her loving family to serve as a slayer to an unwelcoming horde of negligents.

And then there was Kagura… How dare she turn away from her like that! After all Yomi had done, the many years caring for the girl as if her own daughter, taking the place of what Kagura lost, how had the girl repaid her? Kagura's skills as a slayer, what were they if not for the countless hours of training Yomi had given her, sacrificing her own time to be by her sister's side? Yomi had lost her entire family and received a hateful one, demanding and cold. Kagura had yet her father, but was given every afforded luxury, Yomi's company and protection, the attention of her own father, and the adoration and commitment of both families, the Ministry of the Environment, and even Master Michael. Why didn't Yomi deserve any of it? What had she done to deserve this plight now? Who were they to pass judgements on her for her mistakes? Just how many mistakes had they committed and forced Yomi to solve for them? When had she ever claimed anything for herself? No, the moment she began to think for herself, she was the enemy. The moment she made a human error, she was a monster. Not the rest of them, not Mei, not Kagura. No one needed to be there for Yomi, only Yomi was required to meet their demands.

"Right, it's those cretins that allowed you to suffer like this, isn't it? Come now, what do you hate?"

Yomi's lips took their final gasp of air before everything conscious went dark and all that remained was the revenge and seething rage and they curled into an empowered and hideous grin. Yomi was ready to embrace her newfound power, the power to change her fate, the power to make the world bow to her justice.

* * *

"Idiot." Kagura scolded herself, looking at her own mobile's background image, "I have to stand by her side. I have to believe in her. Yomi…"

Looking back, she saw the light in Yomi's room alight aglow of crimson, shaking the entire spiritual field. The power resonating from the light was immense, but more so, it was putrid and foul. Whatever it was, Yomi was at the center of it and Kagura needed to save her. She ran as fast as she could, but already she could sense the fleeting pulse of the energy. As she arrived before Yomi's room, everything was in disarray and reeked of jyaki. The windows had been shattered and the bed upon which Yomi had lain was twisted and burnt. As for her sister, Yomi was nowhere to be seen.

"Yomi? Yomi!"

…

次回、喰霊-零-:

**悲劇裏－ひげきのうら－**

**GAREI -ZERO- episode 10**

**Translations: **

**残酷扉 － ざんこくのとびら－**

_Zankoku no tobira_

Gateway to Cruelty

**Kyuubi – The Nine-Tailed Fox**

**次回、喰霊****-****零****-: ****悲劇裏－ひげきのうら－**

_Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: Higeki no ura_

Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Behind the Tragedy

**Afterwor****d:**

Yomi's soul embraced the Sesshouseki. Under its influence, Yomi would go on to brutally slay her uncle, Isayama Yuu, and lay siege to the rest of the Isayama clan. Standing above the wreck and ruin, Yomi became elated by destruction and sought more, her darkest musings drawing her ever closer to Mitogawa who sheparded her towards her next targets in the Ministries of Defence and the Environment. Facilitating a large scale supernatural attack, he scheduled the appearances of both ministrys' team, the Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasures Divisions, along with their star members, the Tokusen Shikai and Kagura's group respectively. Yomi laid them all to waste, murdering a great number of agents and even causing the deaths of the entire Tokusen Shikai, including familiar members, Tohru and Natsuki who Yomi held accountable for her severe injuries after her latter bout with cousin Mei. She would then slay Sakuraba Kazuki before stalking her penultimate nemesis, Tsuchimiya Kagura. This confrontation would eventually lead to the death of Kagura's father, Tsuchimiya Garaku, a key event in Kagura's life and her turning point to becoming a powerful slayer. Yomi would kill one of the Nabuu twins, incapacitate both the chief, Jinguuji Ayame, and her assistant, Kiri, before making her final stand against Kagura, where her true essence broke free of the Sesshouseki for long enough to wish upon it, declaring that Kagura be freed from the tarnish and taint she brought her sibling. Kagura slayed Yomi, the moment forever engraving itself onto her soul.

Upon death, the last traces of Yomi's goodness departed for the afterlife, but her spiritual energies were so great that the Sesshouseki was able to wield them in resurrecting the slayer in the form of a spirit of Category A grade. With such a powerful weapon at his disposal, Mitogawa directed his mistress to the heart of Japan, its capitol of Tokyo, where the slumbering guardian demon, the Tengu, rested. Now a full-fledged evil spirit, Yomi had spiritual energies honed to summoning other creatures to her side and senses that allowed her to pinpoint the seals of the Tengu and eliminate them. Eventually, her plot began to falter and, seeing the growing darkness in Kagura's own heart, Mitogawa began to stray from his mistress, ultimately reclaiming her Sesshouseki after her defeat at the hands of Kagura and Nimura Kensuke.

However, the Kyuubi, itself, had other ideas. Using its other agent in Mitogawa, it precipitated a race for the collection of the various pieces of the Sesshouseki, culminating in its summoning by Kagura. The taint it brought to the earthly plane fulfilled the requirements needed to bring forth the Hyakki Yako, parading countless armies of evil spirits in an abominable cluster known as the Naraku. Yomi's soul was still kept in purgatory, held at a constant flux between the heaven she deserved and the hell that drew her in. This allowed her second rebirth as Isoyama Izumi following the Naraku's creation and set the stage for the world's end. Yomi's role as the Black Priestess would be fulfilled after the government powers again sided against her, this time costing her her love, Izuna Noriyuki. The Black Priestess and her opposite in the White Priestess, Kagura, met on the final battleground, with spiritual and living witnesses alike waiting on an outcome. It would come after a fatal blow to the Ga-rei Byakuei left Kagura likewise mortally wounded. As Yomi decended from her Kyuubi to offer the final ultimatum, her death, which would precipitate the end of existence, Kagura broke the cycle of death by offering her forgiveness and love even unto the end, this selfless act freeing Yomi from her darkness and allowing her passage into heaven. With Yomi finally laid to rest, the Sesshouseki seeds were replanted and the judgement of humanity postponed. Life continued as usual for Kagura and her friends. Thus ends the journey of Isayama Yomi.

The End

**Translations: **

Tengu – Heavenly Dogs, a type of yokai or demon in Japanese Shinto beliefs that can also be worshipped as guardians.

Kyuubi – The Nine-Tailed Fox

Hyakki Yako – Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

The Naraku – Japanese term for Hell.


End file.
